Logo courtesy of the City of West Sacramento

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – The city of West Sacramento has made its approach to assisting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in their immigration control measures crystal clear — and that is not to assist unless legally required.

At the May 21 meeting, City Council unanimously passed a resolution adopting a policy prohibiting use of city resources to assist federal civil immigration enforcement actions in West Sacramento.

The move came at council request during a strategic planning session earlier this year. It builds on a policy passed in 2017 that recognizes the importance of the city’s immigrant community by authorizing support for the “California Values Act” preventing local law enforcement from using resources to cooperate with ICE along with a policy declaring the city would not participate in the federal ICE 287(g) program.

That voluntary program allows ICE to deputize state, local and tribal law enforcement officers to perform the civil immigration enforcement functions of federal immigration agents.

“The policy before you tonight is intended to provide clear operational guidance to city staff while reinforcing the city’s long-standing commitment to public trust, community safety and equitable access to city services,” Deputy City Manager Doug Drozd told council.

The policy — prepared in conjunction with the West Sacramento Police Department and City Attorney’s Office — prohibits staff from “requesting, collecting, or sharing information regarding a person’s citizenship or immigration status except as required by law.” Drozd added “warrant or court order” to this during his presentation.

The policy prohibits staff from “detaining, arresting, or transferring individuals for the purpose of federal civil immigration enforcement” except as required above. It also prohibits the use of city-owned or controlled property by ICE as staging, processing or detention locations, including parking lots, garages and open spaces and instructs the City Manager’s Office to post signage at these locations and if needed, erecting physical barriers.

Only one person spoke about the policy during public comments. Patience Silva urged the council to vote no on the resolution, telling them she wanted the federal government’s assistance in apprehending criminals in West Sacramento.

Silva said the council salutes the U.S. flag at the beginning of meetings, showing unity with the federal government. The proposed resolution contradicts that unity, and Silva questioned the resolution’s origin, saying the public should know which council member proposed it and that it wasn’t based in fact.

“I find it more of an emotional attack against the government,” she said. “Really just doesn’t seem to align with saluting the flag.”

In supporting the resolution, Councilwoman Dawnté Early said the need for reaffirming the city’s immigration enforcement policy was brought up by all council members at the planning session. It came about as a response to what she said they were seeing in the community.

“To be very, very clear, all of us are supporting this,” Early said. “We are united in this, and I don’t think there is anything more American than what we are doing right now.”

According to a number of online sources, being an undocumented immigrant in the United States is a civil not criminal violation. The civil penalty for being in the U.S. unlawfully is deportation or removal through a court process.

In her remarks supporting the resolution, Mayor Martha Guerrero noted ICE often doesn’t target people who have committed actual criminal violations, but people working in farm fields, selling their goods and even fulfilling legal obligations by appearing in courts for immigration proceedings.

“We have seen how ICE has violated the civil rights of the people of California,” Guerrero said, adding enforcement has not only targeted and apprehended undocumented immigrants but also people who are lawful U.S. citizens.

Guerrero pointed to a recent letter from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who have frequently expressed public opposition to the tactics of ICE. The May 18 letter by USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran and sent to U.S. senators lists concerns outlines in an emergency resolution adopted in March.

The letter calls ICE to institute reforms to immigration enforcement including to stop wearing face masks and military-style uniforms, visibly display agency, ID number and name on uniforms and use body-worn and vehicle cameras when interacting with the public while providing proper storage and access of recorded footage. It also requests ICE be prohibited from immigration actions at schools, hospitals, courts, places of worship and other publicly used locations and stop the practice of conducting stops and searches based on a person’s job, race and ethnicity, spoken language and accent.

“Most Americans have serious concerns with the way immigration enforcement is being conducted in this country, as do America’s mayors and many state and local law enforcement leaders,” Cochran writes. “As you consider providing even more money for immigration enforcement, we urge you to use this moment to find a way to require DHS to institute these badly needed reforms now.”

Guerrero said the public wants an orderly, lawful process when it comes to immigration enforcement. She added the federal government needs to re-establish public trust in its efforts.

“I don’t know if we can even do that with ICE,” Guerrero said. “I don’t think that’s even possible. I don’t consider them law enforcement.”