Every year, Contra Costa County holds a forum at which — in the interest of transparency — the sheriff discloses exactly how many times his office collaborated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities.

But with immigration enforcement now one of the most controversial topics in the country, this year’s event was very different — as even the Board of Supervisors had to acknowledge on Tuesday, while about 200 protesters demanded local law enforcement end all cooperation with ICE.

“This is a different presidential administration, and this is a different ICE,” Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said. “Last year, I think we just had a handful of people who showed up. This year, we obviously have a large turnout because of public concern over the practices and tactics of ICE.

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