Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials issued a statement Tuesday evening in response to rumors that Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel were conducting local “raids.”
The rumors alleging a widespread ICE presence in the SCV on Monday were promulgated by a local social media site that published photos of black SUVs, saying they were “photos alleging the presence of ICE in Santa Clarita.”
However, the post was not accompanied by any corroboration and the resulting false rumor spread further onto social media.
“The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is aware of multiple social media posts circulating regarding an alleged ‘ICE raid’ in our area,’” according to a text message Tuesday from Deputy Robert Jensen, spokesman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station. “In reality, the activity depicted involved a local county agency conducting a routine probation compliance check. We urge the public not to cause unnecessary alarm by mislabeling or altering images.”
A station official said Tuesday evening some of the vehicles in the photos, which were part of the unsourced rumors being shared on social media, belonged to the L.A. County Department of Probation, which did conduct operations in the area.
