Honsal Talks Sanctuary Law, ICE Enforcement and What Humboldt Can Expect

Stock image of Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal 

As immigration enforcement becomes a flashpoint across the country, the conversation has shifted from national headlines to Humboldt County neighborhoods and council meetings.

In response to protests, community concern and a recent letter from the Eureka Police Chief about potential ICE activity, Sheriff William Honsal spoke to Redheaded Blackbelt about sanctuary law, local authority and what residents can expect if federal immigration agents operate here.

Honsal began by addressing a common misunderstanding: that sanctuary status prevents federal immigration enforcement from happening in Humboldt County.

“Sanctuary laws … do not give a protective cloak around Humboldt County for people that are …in the country without permission, … it’s still a federal law violation,” Honsal said. “The executive branch, the Immigration Customs…have orders to take people in custody…that don’t have permission to be here in America, right? So, they’re doing their job, so to speak.”

What sanctuary law affects, he said, is not federal authority, but local participation.

“SB 54 passed in…California that prevented us as law enforcement officers to…do immigration enforcement within the state of California,” he explained.

Humboldt County’s own sanctuary ordinance reinforces that framework. Under those laws, local deputies do not enforce immigration law and do not use county resources to assist federal immigration operations.

Honsal has previously said he will uphold both California law and the county’s sanctuary ordinance, even as the issue remains politically divisive. Some residents argue sanctuary protections are necessary to build trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. Others contend the policy limits cooperation with federal authorities and undermines public safety. Honsal said his role is not to choose between those positions, but to operate within the law as written.

“We’re not conducting immigration enforcement,” Honsal said plainly.

The sheriff was also direct about what his department does not do in the course of their work.

“We don’t keep any kind of immigration status. We’re never going to ask for immigration status. There’s no papers for people to carry around, so to speak, and there’s nothing [that concerns us] as far as immigration status, even in a jail. We don’t ask those questions,” he explained.

Though the county sheriff is committed to upholding both California law and Humboldt County’s sanctuary ordinance, he has been candid about his concerns with how the policy functions in practice.

When the county sanctuary ordinance was first proposed, “I was against it,” Honsal said, explaining that the ordinance does not prevent federal immigration enforcement from occurring in Humboldt County, but can complicate coordination between agencies.

He has also expressed frustration that due to sanctuary status, federal immigration officials do not routinely communicate operational plans with local law enforcement, which can leave deputies responding to 911 calls without advance knowledge of what is happening and can contribute to public panic.

Still, he said, his responsibility is to enforce the law as it stands.

Those who oppose sanctuary status argue that state and county codes amount to harboring individuals from federal enforcement. Honsal clarified that the law does not shield anyone from federal authorities but instead restricts local agencies from using county resources for immigration enforcement, including declining to detain someone beyond their locally adjudicated release date solely to allow ICE to take custody.

Honsal said the decision predated sanctuary law and was based on county resources rather than politics.

“When we did honor those ICE detainers, ICE didn’t show up…to pick them up… and we were holding people past their release date,” Honsal said. “Sheriff Mike Downey thought at the time…’I’m not going to continue this practice if you’re asking for this…and then we hold them…and then you…don’t pick them up.’” Holding inmates beyond their release dates required county staffing, housing and budget resources, he said, without federal reimbursement.

Under current practice, individuals are held for the time required by their local charges. Federal authorities can see booking information through fingerprint data and may act independently. Local deputies do not hold individuals beyond their adjudicated case and do not use county resources to assist ICE enforcement either in locating an undocumented immigrant or by using county resources to detain an undocumented immigrant beyond their jail sentence.

There are limited legal circumstances where communication is permitted.

“We did turn over one person that fits the legal requirements…ICE wanted to know his release date, and we communicated that,” Honsal said. “And then on his release date, they showed up and they picked him up and transferred him.”

Under SB 54, local agencies may communicate with ICE only when an individual has been convicted of a qualifying offense under Government Code 7282.5. Those offenses generally include serious or violent felonies such as robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, certain domestic violence crimes, child abuse or lewd acts involving minors, and felony DUI causing injury, among others specifically listed in the statute. In those limited circumstances, release date information may be shared, and a transfer can occur at the conclusion of the locally imposed sentence.

According to the Sheriff’s Office semiannual sanctuary ordinance report covering January 1 through June 30, 2025, HCSO received 15 ICE administrative detainers.  No release dates were proactively provided to ICE, and one individual with a qualifying offense was turned over to ICE upon completion of their sentence. Sheriff’s Office policy, along with state law, prohibits detaining someone solely based on a civil immigration detainer.

That legal framework places local law enforcement in the middle of competing expectations. Federal immigration law remains enforceable in Humboldt County. State and county law restrict how local deputies participate. Meanwhile, community members on both sides of the issue are watching closely.

Beyond what federal, state, and county law demands, the public has pressed local officials to state what they will do if immigration officials come to Humboldt.

Honsal said his department is preparing for that possibility. “Because it’s only a matter of time,” he said.

Honsal said if federal agents are lawfully serving warrants, the sheriff’s office will not interfere.

“If federal officers are in that county, and they are enforcing federal law, and they are…conducting a search warrant at a house or an arrest warrant at a house…we’re not going to interfere with that,” he said. “That is…we’re going to allow them to do their job.”

If residents call 911 reporting unknown law enforcement activity, deputies will respond to verify what is happening.

“We will gladly come. We will come there. We will show up,” Honsal said, however, they won’t interfere. “If I then step in and prevent them from doing the job, then I’m committing a violation,” he explained.

Sheriff Honsal said, “If the situation is static…and there’s a time for us to speak with the people that are in charge there…I can verify that…they have valid search warrants, valid arrest warrants, signed by a judge.”

At the same time, he acknowledged that community members retain the right to observe and protest.

“If people decide to protest, they have every right to do so. They have every right to film law enforcement. They can do that from the public street, from the public sidewalk,” he said.

However, he cautioned against physically interfering with federal officers carrying out lawful duties.

“If someone decides to interfere…that becomes a state crime violation…and that’s when [local law enforcement] would have to step in…and arrest our community members,” he said, adding that he does not want to be put in that position.

Though Honsal believes federal immigration enforcement operations will eventually take place locally, he also emphasized that his office is not engaged in immigration enforcement and does not want residents to fear contacting local deputies.

He acknowledged that the topic itself has created anxiety.

“There’s still fear in the community. I think there’s still panic out there,” he said.

Honsal noted that some recent reports of ICE presence have proven unfounded, contributing to confusion and rumor. He said his office will continue responding to calls and verifying information when concerns arise.

At the same time, he stressed that sanctuary policy does not alter the sheriff’s responsibility to respond to emergencies.

“They should never hesitate on calling 911 and request the sheriff’s office assistance if they need help.”