The Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a moratorium on ICE detention facilities Tuesday, Sept. 29, barring new centers from being built in unincorporated parts of the county.
The 5-0 vote on the 45-day interim ordinance blocks the siting, construction, conversion or operation of detention facilities on unincorporated county land. Supervisors also voted 5-0 to ban ICE from using any county properties or facilities for civil immigration enforcement, with exceptions for criminal warrants and existing leases.
Supervisor Luis Alejo, who introduced the moratorium alongside Supervisor Chris Lopez, said an ICE detention center "would intimidate immigrant workers and their families, spreading fear and anxiety far beyond its walls," KSBW reported.
Supervisor Wendy Root-Askew said the board should not wait until detention facilities are proposed in Monterey County to set standards. She called the vote a chance to do additional work before reacting to a situation forced on the county, according to the Monterey Herald.
Supervisor Kate Daniels called the involuntary detention of people for civil immigration purposes out of step with the county's values, the Herald reported.
The moratorium required a four-fifths supermajority to pass. All five supervisors voted yes.
There are no immigration detention facilities in Monterey County. The ordinance cited environmental, public health and safety concerns and said existing zoning laws did not adequately regulate detention facilities, according to the county agenda.
The votes come amid a broader regional fight over a planned ICE facility near Gilroy, at 7240 Holsclaw Road, less than 20 miles from Aromas at Monterey County's northern tip. A federal judge ordered ICE to halt construction on that project Sept. 12 after California and Santa Clara County sued on environmental grounds, the Monterey Herald reported. The injunction pauses work until the lawsuit is resolved.
Monterey County has been escalating its opposition to the Gilroy project since May. The board voted unanimously May 19 to oppose the facility and sent a formal letter to the federal government June 2, as Voices of Monterey Bay reported.
In July, the board unanimously ended the county's participation in a federal immigration program, giving up more than $1 million in annual funding, Voices of Monterey Bay reported.
Monterey County joins Watsonville and Santa Cruz County in banning ICE from using local facilities.
The 45-day moratorium is set to expire in mid-November. The board can vote to extend it at that time.
