Federal agencies and local partners raided an alleged drug trafficking organization in the Rogue Valley last week. Immigration advocates say that operation included ICE detentions.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said deputies did not cooperate with immigration agents during a drug investigation in Southern Oregon last week. An immigrant advocacy group says Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained at least 21 people during related operations in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Officers served multiple search warrants simultaneously on Sept. 23 in the Rogue Valley, according to the sheriff’s office, after a two-year investigation. The details of that investigation have not been released.

Rogue Valley Migra Watch said ICE detained 21 people during those raids, which targeted cannabis farms in Medford and Cave Junction. The group said it based its count on eyewitness accounts, photos and contact with affected families. Authorities have not confirmed the number of detentions.

The group questioned local law enforcement’s role in operations that led to immigration detentions.

“It’s plain and simple: local law enforcement should have no involvement in these large-scale ICE raids meant to rip families apart and stoke fear in our communities,” Rogue Valley Migra Watch said in a statement.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Aaron Lewis said immigration enforcement was not the purpose of the raids.

“It was a local, state and federal collaboration to investigate a major drug trafficking organization,” Lewis said in a statement.

He said the sheriff’s office follows state sanctuary laws when assisting federal agencies.

“There was no local law enforcement cooperation with ICE,” he said.

Rogue Valley Migra Watch recorded 17 ICE detentions by ICE during raids on Southern Oregon cannabis farms in July 2025. Local law enforcement helped serve search warrants on those properties.

Federal agencies included in last week’s operation include the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/29/southern-oregon-immigration-ice-raids-21-detained-activists-say/