Following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, county officials are gearing up to ban ICE agents from certain areas.
by Eli WolfeJan. 14, 2026 (Berkeleyside.org)
Alameda County officials will gather on Thursday to discuss two initiatives designed to shield residents from federal immigration agents and the kinds of violence and chaos they’ve stoked in Minneapolis and other cities.
One of the proposals is to draft a county-wide plan for dealing with immigration enforcement. This would include rapid-response protocols for government agencies and community partners, plus training for staff and public communication strategies.
The other plan would involve the creation of “ICE-Free Zones” on properties owned by Alameda County. The county would develop a policy to restrict immigration agents from using its properties for staging civil enforcement actions, surveillance or processing people.
Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas introduced both proposals last November, citing lessons learned from other cities that have experienced heavy immigration enforcement, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland. The proposals were continued to this week’s meeting so supervisors can incorporate feedback from the sheriff, district attorney, probation department and public defender.
“Our goal is simple: every resident should be able to access health care, courts, schools, and public services without fear,” Bas said in a statement. “Coordinate response plans and ICE-Free Zones are essential tools in building community safety and power during this time.”
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, Alameda County officials have been preparing for a surge in immigration enforcement. Tensions rose in October after Customs and Border Protection agents arrived at a Coast Guard base in Alameda in preparation for a major enforcement action. But the operation was cancelled by President Trump at the last moment following his conversations with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and several tech billionaires.
Last week, an ICE officer named Jonathan Ross shot and killed a 37-year-old unarmed woman named Renee Good in Minneapolis. Trump and other administration officials have attempted to label Good as a domestic terrorist, claiming she tried to ram Ross with her car. But videos of the shooting show Good speaking calmly to Ross and attempting to drive away from him before he shot her multiple times.
That footage has sparked an uproar and launched hundreds of protests across the country, including in Berkeley. The shooting has also spurred conversation in the Bay Area about how local law enforcement should handle similar situations.
