A coalition of Marin County residents and advocacy groups showed up at the Marin Center Showcase Theater during the Board of Supervisors’ budget workshop. They demanded a permanent withdrawal from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).
The rally in San Rafael brought together activists from all over Marin. Neighbors from Novato, Mill Valley, Sausalito, and Corte Madera argued SCAAP ties local law enforcement to federal immigration authorities and pulls resources away from real community safety needs.
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As the Supervisors reviewed the 2026–2028 budget, protesters pushed for lasting change—not just a one-year budget cut.
Protest at the Marin Center: A Call for Permanent Withdrawal from SCAAP
The gathering at the Marin Center Showcase Theater lined up with the first session of the county’s three-day budget workshop. SCAAP funding has become a flashpoint in heated debates over immigration policy and civil liberties in Marin County.
Organizers claim SCAAP grants reward agencies for sharing detainee information with the Department of Justice, ICE, and DHS. They say this practice erodes trust between immigrant communities and local police in towns from San Rafael to San Anselmo.
SCAAP, Funding, and Local Impact
What is SCAAP? In short, SCAAP gives federal grants to sheriffs’ offices and police departments that report detainee data. Eligibility means sharing details like name, date of birth, country of birth, and incarceration dates for people held at least four days with one felony or two misdemeanor convictions.
In Marin, the Sheriff’s Office has received more than $1.2 million from SCAAP over the past three years for reporting on over 1,000 immigrants. That number has stirred up both support and concern in places from Corte Madera to Fairfax.
Marin’s 2024 SCAAP payment alone came to $338,136, showing how much this program has become part of local budgets. County leaders say the funds help offset detention data reporting costs.
But critics argue the program reinforces a federal system that just doesn’t fit with Marin’s values. Neighbors in Sausalito, Tiburon, and Larkspur have watched the county try to balance public safety, civil rights, and budget realities.
County Budget Moves and Activist Demands
In February, County Executive Derek Johnson took SCAAP funding out of the proposed 2026–2028 budget. Organizers saw this as a positive move, but they insisted a one-time budget fix isn’t enough to guarantee long-term noncooperation with ICE.
Marin activists—from the Marin Democratic Socialists of America (Marin DSA) to Fuerzas Unidas, MVFREE, Indivisible Marin, and Indivisible Novato—pressed the Board of Supervisors to make a permanent policy that ends cooperation with SCAAP and federal immigration enforcement.
A petition is circulating from San Rafael to San Anselmo and beyond. It has gathered more than 4,500 signatures, showing strong local demand for transparency and self-determination in how Marin County deals with federal immigration programs.
Organizers see the petition as a clear message: residents want elected officials to fully withdraw from SCAAP, not just suspend it for a year.
What Organizers Want Next
- Permanent noncooperation with SCAAP and ICE, locked into county policy.
- Public commitments from the Board of Supervisors to stop all reporting required by SCAAP.
- Clear communication about how future budgets will reflect the withdrawal and keep the community safe.
- Engagement with Marin towns—from San Rafael to Novato, Corte Madera, and Sausalito—so residents get the fiscal and legal stakes.
Marin County keeps hashing out its budget in cities like Mill Valley, Tiburon, and Fairfax. The SCAAP debate stirs up a bigger question: how does a liberal, coastal county juggle public safety and civil liberties, especially for immigrants?
People in places like Point Reyes Station and San Anselmo are watching. If the Board of Supervisors backs a permanent withdrawal, Marin might set an example for other Bay Area counties that want to rethink their ties with federal immigration enforcement while still holding onto local trust.
Here is the source article for this story: Residents Protest, Demand Permanent End To ICE Cooperation In Marin County Via SCAAP Funding
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