Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew walked up to ICE vehicles parked outside the county jail Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 27, and told the agents they were on county property in violation of local policy.

Faced with a jail lockdown that halted all releases and a crowd of about 50 protesters, the ICE agents left around 6:30 p.m., according to Monterey County NOW. The jail reopened at 8 p.m.

The confrontation tested the county's anti-staging policy, adopted 5-0 by the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 29. That resolution bars county-owned property from being used as staging areas, operational bases or processing locations for federal civil immigration enforcement, according to Monterey County NOW.

Root Askew, who chairs the board, first visited the jail around lunchtime to thank legal observers monitoring ICE activity, according to a separate Monterey County NOW report based on her account. When she returned later that afternoon, she found dozens of protesters confronting ICE agents near the sallyport gate, where about 10 vehicles were parked.

Root Askew said she approached the agents one by one, speaking through slightly cracked vehicle windows. She identified herself by name and title and asked each agent whether they knew the county had a policy prohibiting immigration enforcement operations from county property. Each one said no, according to her account. She said she informed them of the policy and asked them to leave.

She also told the agents the jail had gone on full lockdown and no one was being released. Root Askew said she told each agent they were not welcome and that the county would not hand anyone over, according to her account.

About 50 people gathered at the jail that evening, including legal observers, immigration lawyers, protesters and local officials, Monterey County NOW reported.

Monterey County Sheriff's Cmdr. Andres Rosas said the lockdown was to maintain a safe environment. The Sheriff's Office announced it at 5:40 p.m. as a precautionary measure. Rosas said anyone scheduled for release on the afternoon or evening of Oct. 27 was released on time and that inmates retained access to legal counsel.

Rosas also said ICE did not notify the jail that agents would be conducting enforcement operations in the area.

The confrontation grew heated toward the end. About 30 protesters moved closer to the federal vehicles, and some threw rocks at the vehicles as they drove away toward Constitution Boulevard, Monterey County NOW reported.

"ICE is not wanted here. ICE is here to intimidate," Chris Barrera, president of LULAC Council #2055, said at the scene.

The Solidarity Network Monterey County Rapid Response said up to a dozen ICE vehicles had been seen in the area over Oct. 26 and 27, sometimes patrolling nearby parking lots including at Natividad Medical Center and county health clinics. The network said one person was detained around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 while leaving a county health clinic on the government campus next to the jail.

DOJ demands voter data

Days before the jail standoff, the U.S. Department of Justice hand-delivered a letter on Friday, Oct. 23, to Monterey County Registrar of Voters Gina Martinez. The letter demanded personal data of people the DOJ alleged were non-citizens on the county's voter rolls, Monterey County NOW reported.

The letter, signed by U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian, demanded the registrar work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within 48 hours. It sought personal information including Social Security numbers and driver's license copies. Missakian also demanded that mail ballots from anyone whose citizenship could not be confirmed be set aside. The letter warned of criminal consequences against Martinez.

County Counsel Susan Blitch responded Oct. 27, calling the threats unlawful intimidation of election officials and voters. Blitch wrote that the 310 names were unsubstantiated and based on unreliable third-party data, and that the county could not legally comply.

County spokesperson Nick Pasculli said of the 310 names, 142 were active voters compliant with the law. Of those, 17 were first-time voters still undergoing verification. The remaining 168 were not registered to vote in the county.

Monterey County NOW reported the DOJ's California Northern District did not respond to a request for comment. County leadership, in a joint statement reported by the Monterey Herald, called the effort an attempt at "sowing the seeds of doubt" rather than evidence of non-citizen voting.