@ksbw_8: The Monterey County Jail was placed on lockdown for about three hours Tuesday after ICE agents and protesters gathered outside the facility, prompting safety concerns, the Sheriff’s Office said. Yellow caution tape was put up Wednesday, essentially blocking the area where ICE agents had been stationed and where protesters later confronted them. The lockdown temporarily suspended new bookings and inmate releases, the Sheriff’s Office said. The Sheriff’s Office said no inmates were released during the lockdown and confirmed that no individuals scheduled for release were affected. ICE said two people it sought were reportedly released from custody. The agency did not specify when they were released. ICE said it was conducting a targeted operation involving people with prior arrests for DUI, drug offenses and providing false identification. The agency described them as “criminal illegal aliens” and accused the jail of “harboring” them from federal law enforcement. "On October 27, the Monterey County Jail was placed on temporary lockdown following a targeted ICE operation involving criminal illegal aliens with prior arrests for DUI, drug offenses, and providing false identification. New bookings and inmate releases were temporarily suspended. Two of the individuals ICE sought were reportedly released from custody. This is where we are: Criminals are being protected in sanctuary cities and states, and a law enforcement facility is siding with CRIMINALS instead of cooperating with federal law enforcement," wrote ICE in a social media post. If ICE agents return, another lockdown may be initiated. “If ICE agents return, another lockdown may be activated,” Undersheriff John Rosas said. “We will look at each individual circumstance that occurs in the future, and we will make decisions based on what is occurring at that time to ensure the safety of our staff working inside the jail, our incarcerated population, and anyone that is in or around the facility, to include law enforcement or members of the community.” On Wednesday, the scene outside the jail was much quieter, with no ICE agents or protesters present and only a few observers remaining in the area.

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Thursday 29 October 2026 00:41:21 GMT