Recent social media posts about alleged sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and claims that local law enforcement is targeting certain individuals have been popping up with greater frequency of late and prompted the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office to address the issue.
 
Over the weekend of Jan. 24 to Jan. 26, unverified reports were posted on social media suggesting that ICE agents were spotted on Highway 33 in Newman.

“These claims have caused unnecessary fear and confusion,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “To date, there has been no verified information or confirmation that ICE operations have taken place in the area.”

Local law enforcement officials have no jurisdiction in immigration matters and are legally bound under California Senate Bill 54 which prohibits local law enforcement from interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol or arresting someone based on their immigration status.

Some of the posts were in regards to speculation that the Sheriff’s Office were targeting unpermitted food vendors in the Walmart parking lot in Patterson.

“Deputies with Patterson Police Services responded to complaints from residents about unpermitted food vendors operating after hours in front of the old CVS building located in the Walmart parking lot,” the Sheriff’s Office explained. “Deputies informed them of the city’s ordinance on unpermitted food sales and allowed them to leave voluntarily with no arrests being made. Deputies re-educated the same individuals when they returned the following day, again without any enforcement action or arrests. These actions were solely to address unpermitted food vending within city limits and were unrelated to their immigration status. Under the Patterson Municipal Code in Chapter 5.10 vendors must apply for a permit, provide a Stanislaus County health permit and follow many other requirements.”