At about 10 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, a car carrying two men who had just been released from the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas pulled away from the jail. Federal immigration agents followed it, San José Spotlight reported, citing volunteers with the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, a coalition of community organizations. When the men ran from the car, agents chased them on foot and used a Taser on one of them, according to an observer on the scene. He was taken to Regional Medical Center in East San Jose and released later that morning. Observers told the Spotlight it was the first local incident they knew of in which federal agents used a Taser.
Two days later, on Friday, October 30, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office changed who may come onto the jail's grounds.
"Our responsibility is to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone who comes to Elmwood, including staff, visitors, service providers and those leaving our custody," Sheriff Bob Jonsen said in the office's announcement. "These changes are intended to improve safety, reduce disruptions and ensure the facility can continue operating effectively while respecting the rights of all individuals."
What the Sheriff's Office decided
The new procedures took effect October 30, according to the Sheriff's Office announcement:
- One way in and out. Access to the Elmwood parking lot and facility buildings is limited to a single entry and exit point on the west side of the facility, at 945 Thompson St.
- ID and a reason. Anyone who wants to enter the parking lot or the Elmwood lobby must show identification and have an immediate facility-related purpose. The office lists people with visitation appointments, attorneys meeting clients, service providers, contractors and others with approved business at Elmwood.
- No pickups inside the lot. People who arrive only to pick up someone being released from custody may not enter the restricted parking lot or buildings. The office encourages them to choose a safe pickup spot outside the restricted areas.
- The same rule for everyone. The restrictions "will apply equally to all individuals and local, state, and federal organizations seeking entry to the facility grounds," the announcement says.
The announcement does not mention immigration agents by name. It says the changes follow "several recent incidents near the facility" that created safety concerns in areas used by employees, visitors, people being released and the public, and it says the office does not take part in civil immigration enforcement. San José Spotlight reported that the policy began after its reporting on federal immigration agents waiting in the jail lobby and parking lot to detain people as they were released, and that sheriff officials said it is in effect indefinitely.
It is a Sheriff's Office procedure, not a vote of the Board of Supervisors. No board action on it appears on the board's November 3 agenda.
Why it is a change
Until then the office had said it could not interfere with another law enforcement agency. "ICE agents, like any member of the public, may legally be present in publicly accessible areas of our facilities," Sheriff's Office spokesperson Brooks Jarosz told San José Spotlight in its October 30 report.
That report also cited information from the Sheriff's Office that about 70 people have been detained by federal agents near county jails since June 2025, and observers' counts of about 10 to 12 agents at the jails every day in the week before.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in October 2025 to set up ICE-free zones on county property, as San José Spotlight described them at the time, including an inventory of county lots, garages and other spaces, physical barriers, locked gates and signs. Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who led that policy, told the Spotlight in October 2026 that it covers property not open to the public, such as staff parking lots, and not the jail lobby or public parking lots. The Sheriff's new rule reaches the public lot and lobby at Elmwood by limiting who may enter at all.
What it leaves out
- Other county jails. The announcement covers Elmwood only. The Main Jail in San Jose, where observers also reported agents waiting, is not part of it.
- The streets outside. The rule controls entry to the parking lot and buildings. It does not govern public roads around the facility. In the October 28 incident, agents followed the car after it left the jail, San José Spotlight reported.
- A designated pickup area. The announcement names none; it encourages people arranging rides to choose a safe pickup spot outside the restricted areas.
- A set end date. The office says it will keep evaluating conditions and adjust as needed.
The executive director of SIREN (Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network), one of 10 organizations in the Rapid Response Network, told San José Spotlight in its November 3 report that federal agents were still present around the jail, that it was too soon to know whether the rule would keep people from being detained on release, and that the county needed to enforce its own policy against staging on county property.
Who it touches
- People leaving Elmwood and the people who come for them. Pickups now happen outside the restricted lot.
- Visitors, attorneys, service providers and contractors, who show identification and state their business to enter.
- Elmwood employees. The announcement names employees among the people using the areas where recent incidents raised safety concerns.
- Federal, state and local agencies, which face the same entry test as everyone else, according to the announcement.
County Executive James Williams told San José Spotlight that the county "will continue to take appropriate action to protect the safety and well-being of everyone who enters, works in or receives services at our facilities, and we will enforce county policies prohibiting the use of county property for unauthorized purposes."
What happens next
- More adjustments are possible. The Sheriff's Office says it will keep evaluating conditions at Elmwood.
- County policy review. Supervisor Arenas told San José Spotlight in its October 30 report that she would consult with local law enforcement and County Counsel on other policies the county could adopt.
- Next board meeting. The Board of Supervisors' next regular meeting on the county's calendar is Tuesday, November 17, at 9:30 a.m.
How to weigh in
The Board of Supervisors meets at 70 West Hedding Street in San Jose, with remote participation by Zoom or phone; agendas, packets and video are on the county's meeting calendar at sccgov.iqm2.com. Written comments can be emailed to BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org, and the Clerk of the Board can be reached at (408) 299-5001. On the November 3 agenda, matters not on the agenda could be raised during the general public comment item (item 6); each meeting's agenda gives its own Zoom and phone details.
