Sonoma County residents and activists held a die-in at the Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s Offices Monday, July 20, to protest the organization’s support for the Sheriff’s cooperation with ICE.
The demonstration was part of a national action in response to the recent killings of immigrants by ICE.
The Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition – a group of “non-profits, faith groups, and over 200 individuals working to resist Trump’s anti-immigrant attacks,” organized Monday’s Die-In and press conference.
Actors lay “dead” on the pavement outside the offices – some draped in flags, flowers and placards displaying the names and faces of those killed by ICE this year. Steady drums and accordions rang out in the parking lot as some actors wailed out in pain on the floor. Farmworkers also gave speeches sharing their experiences.
Towards the end of the demonstration, sheriff deputies eventually told organizers to move out of the parking lot or they would be arrested.
Renee Saucedo is a community organizer with the Sanctuary Coalition.
“They are an extremely influential organization in our county, and their members, many of them, are people who employ immigrant workers, like wineries and ranches and businesses that support the wine industry,” Renee Saucedo said in an interview with North Bay Vanguard.
“In our mind, it’s shameful that an organization representing agricultural employers would support a policy that endangers the lives of immigrant workers,” Saucedo said.
The Sonoma County Farm Bureau is a non-profit agricultural advocacy organization that frequently advocates against regulations it views as harmful to farmers and ranchers, including the county’s well ordinance, proposed vineyard water-quality regulations, land-use policies and Measure J – a 2024 ballot measure targeting large animal farming operations.
Its statewide affiliate, the California Farm Bureau Federation, opposed Assembly Bill 1066, the 2016 law that phased in overtime protections for agricultural workers. Notable members of the Farm Bureau include Rodney Strong Vineyards, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, and Friedman’s Home Improvement.
According to KRCB News, Farm Bureau Executive Director Dayna Ghirardelli said the organization supports the sheriff’s handling of serious criminal cases and is not advocating for broader ICE enforcement.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office policy allows the agency to notify ICE before releasing some inmates who meet state-defined criteria, including those convicted of certain serious or violent felonies.
Saucedo said immigrant workers are the ones who make it possible to earn monumental profits in tourism and wine.
“We had to send a message not only to the Farm Bureau, but to the Sonoma County community and to the sheriff that we’re holding everyone responsible,” Saucedo said. “We’re going to keep going until it stops, until the sheriff stops sharing information with ICE, so we are not complicit in handing people over to this death machine that is ICE.”
Organizers said the press conference also served as a call for ranchers, wineries and other businesses that support immigrant workers to publicly express their support. They urged listeners to contact the Sanctuary Coalition to be included on a list denouncing the Farm Bureau’s position.
Lucia is a farmworker, member of Almas Libres, and the Sanctuary Coalition of Sonoma County.
“I have lived here for 23 years. As with many immigrant families, we just want the best for our family,” Lucia said in a speech at the die-in. “I’ve had to work very hard in the fields where my husband also worked, in order to move my family and my children forward.”
“I have lived the injustices that we experience on the job, how they pressure us to do the work faster, and now at this moment – so terrible for our immigrant families, we hear that ICE agents are murdering people, incarcerating them, separating them from our families,” she said.
“I am scared. I can’t imagine them arriving and following us in the fields where my husband and my family and our loved ones and myself still work.”
She urged those listening to stop supporting the sheriff and the collaboration with ICE.
“He is being an accomplice to ICE, and they are putting our families in danger. Protect the land and protect those who work the land. ICE is killing our people,” Lucia said.
Sandra, a Sonoma County farmworker, also spoke on Monday’s demonstration. She asked those in farm bureau building behind her one question – “How important are the lives of your workers?”
“And I’m not referring to the workers who are here with their families safe. No, I’m talking about those you contract in order to push your organization forward. What safety do you provide to each of those workers and to their families,” Sandra said.
She also demanded the Farm Bureau stop supporting the sheriff in his collaboration with ICE.
“I am sure that your lands, your cattle, and your businesses, among other businesses, don’t work with you directly. They need labor. They need many workers, and most of them are immigrant workers. If your businesses are so important to you, why not the safety and well-being of your workers be part of that?” Sandra said.
“Why do you support the sheriff in this county, so that he continues to turn people over to ICE, knowing that these measures cause many people who work the land in Sonoma County to be in danger, to fall under the hands of these people who have no respect for human life,” she said.
Daisy, a volunteer with North Bay Rapid Response (NBRR) shared recent statistics on the number of people who have been taken by ICE in the county. NBRR offers a 24-hour hotline to those who experience or witness ICE activity in Napa, Solano or Sonoma County, and dispatches trained legal observers to the scene.
“From January 2025 to July 13, 2026, 52 people have been arrested by ICE in Sonoma County. Some of them were on their way to work, outside their homes, just leaving the jail, or at their immigration appointments,” Daisy said.
They also said the jail does not provide information about NBRR to any people inside or their family members.
Darby Radley, Petaluma resident and participant in Monday’s die-in, said he was glad to participate in the day’s action.
“I’m mostly here to stand by and protect the voices that need to be heard. But in the opportunity where I’m asked to partake – I will gladly step in and show the meaning and the value of what a heartfelt action takes,” said Darby Radley.
He and around 50 others lay “dead” in front of the entrance to the Farm Bureau Offices.
“Raisez Collective, Sanctuary Coalition of Sonoma County, and many other organizations, Almas Libres – have all been standing up in a position that most people don’t actually recognize,” he said.
“They’re representing the voices that are not brought to the attention of the majority of the people of Sonoma County or the state of California. Even our representatives, many of our leadership in California, they stand for rights of all, but they really don’t acknowledge those who have historically not had their rights recognized,” Radley said.
Pamela Harter is a volunteer with the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition. She also participated in Monday’s die-in.
Harter said she has always been passionate for civil rights. In the 1960s and 70s she protested the U.S. led bombing campaigns in Cambodia. More recently, she participated in an 8-day hunger strike at the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors demanding a no-cooperation with ICE ordinance.
“We have a group of untrained thugs, many of them criminals, who are running around the country with no identification, armed to the teeth, masked, and they don’t even identify themselves when they surround a car,” said Pamela Harter in an interview with North Bay Vanguard.
“It’s so important to support my community, to show up, and to let them know … we’re here for you and we’re not going to allow this. We’re not going to allow the government to terrorize you, or terrorize any of us.”
While the Farm Bureau has agreed to have a meeting with the Sanctuary Coalition, Executive Director Dayna Ghirardelli said the Bureau is unlikely to change their position.
