The Napa County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, June 8, 2025, corrected a social media post put up by a community member that falsely claimed US Customs and Immigration Enforcement, or ICE, was in Napa. The photo actually pictures a SWAT vehicle and was part of a criminal investigation unrelated to any immigration enforcement. (Napa County Sheriff's Office via Bay City News)

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said that a recent law enforcement operation in north Napa was related to a criminal investigation and has nothing to do with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. 

“Despite false rumors, this has nothing to do with ICE or immigration,” said the Sheriff’s Office, adding that social media had fueled the false speculation. 

“Please use caution when making any social media post to prevent false rumors and adding any fear in our community,” the Sheriff’s Office said. 

Though the Sheriff’s Office didn’t clarify what the investigation involved, it did share a photo of a SWAT vehicle posted to social media erroneously saying it was ICE spotted at a local middle school, followed with the words “Stay safe yall!”

The Sheriff’s Office recreated the image with the words “False… this is our SWAT team on a criminal matter not ICE” in hopes that the public would share it and tamp down the rumors. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.