The Alameda County Board of Supervisors will vote on a measure that would set “ICE-free zones” where ICE agents would not be allowed to set foot. But it remains to be seen whether any of this is even legally enforceable.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not having a good week from a public relations standpoint. There was of course last week’s fatal shooting of innocent mom Renee Good in Minneapolis, which has played poorly in the court of public opinion for obvious reasons. On Wednesday, ICE agents tear-gassed a Minneapolis family driving with their six children. And recent polling says that for the first time ever, more Americans want to abolish ICE than those who think ICE should be kept around.
Alameda County may abolish ICE, at least in parts of the county. KTVU reports that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to establish “ICE-free zones” on any county-owned property, where ICE agents theoretically would not be allowed to set foot or carry out any operations.
"This proposal for ICE-free zones will ensure that parking lots, parking garages, vacant lots, non public areas of our buildings cannot be used for federal immigration enforcement," Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas said . "For our county owned and county controlled property and any non-public areas of our building, they will not be authorized to do federal immigration enforcement."
But can they really do this? The reality is that other municipalities have, but this is completely legally untested territory. LA County voted to create ICE-free zones this week. Santa Clara County passed their own similar “ICE-free zone” legislation in December, barring ICE agents from city- and county-owned parking lots, garages and other lands.
Santa Clara County, is of course, home to Levi’s Stadium where the Super Bowl is being played in three weeks, and where some World Cup matches will be played in just five months. So wait a minute… does that mean Levi’s Stadium would be an ICE-free zone during those events?
Legally, yes! Levi’s Stadium is technically owned by the City of Santa Clara, albeit through a body called the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. So if ICE agents did show up at the Super Bowl or World Cup trying to snatch people, the city or county could try to test the boundaries of their ICE-free zone legislation. And we could see a high-profile conflict that really has no precedent in sports, law enforcement, or anything really in recent US history.
But that’s all just theoretical. On an immediate practical level, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors could be voting on their ICE-free zone resolution as early as this Tuesday, January 20.
Image: MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 08: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) People march during a protest after the killing of Renee Nicole Good on January 08, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to federal officials, an ICE agent shot and killed Good during a confrontation yesterday in south Minneapolis. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
