Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained two individuals in the area on Thursday morning, according to Faith in Action Bay Area (FiABA). The detainments, one in Redwood City and one in East Palo Alto (EPA), are the first confirmed ICE action in Redwood City, EPA, Atherton or Menlo Park since August of last year.
ICE arrested an individual on the corner of Ebener and Poplar in Redwood City at 9:20 a.m., according to FiABA, San Mateo County’s official immigration rapid response network. FiABA verified that the individual was arrested as part of a targeted search and stated that ICE did not raid the scene or detain indiscriminately in the street.
Later that day, at 11:15 a.m., another individual was detained outside of Cardenas Market in EPA. FiABA also confirmed the arrest was targeted at a specific person, and that ICE did not raid or camp out at the location.
EPA Mayor Webster Lincoln also confirmed the arrest via Instagram on Thursday.
In both cases, FiABA was able to get in contact with the detainees and their families to provide legal support and resources.
These detainments come in the wake of a perceived increase in ICE’s presence in the Bay Area. On Tuesday, ICE detained two individuals in San Mateo. Last week, three individuals were detained in the East Bay. There have also been reports of an increase in violent ICE interactions across the Bay Area.
These detentions mark the first confirmed ICE presence in the immediate area since ICE detained a woman in EPA in August 2025. When detained, the woman suffered a medical emergency, leading her to be taken to Stanford Hospital. The woman has since been released from custody.
In an interview with the M-A Chronicle in September, Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said he worried that the construction of proposed detention centers in Gilroy and Dublin would lead to an increase in ICE presence in the Peninsula. “They’re trying to build them closer to the Bay Area, and we think it foretells them trying to ramp up deportations in this area,” he said.
