Santa Clara County approves first steps in establishing "No ICE" Zones

SAN JOSE, Calif. – President Trump continues to say he plans to send the National Guard to San Francisco. For leaders in the South Bay, that has prompted a new sense of urgency to fight back against immigration enforcement. On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved moving forward with a plan to declare all county property and facilities “off limits” for immigration enforcement.  

The City of San Jose is expected to start the same process on Wednesday. 

ICE not welcome

What we know:

In Santa Clara County, more than 40% of the population is made up of immigrants, so city and county leaders know firsthand how current ICE enforcement actions are impacting the community.

“We cannot wait until something happens here to act here.  We cannot wait until federal agents show up in our neighborhoods to finally decide that we should have protected our community spaces,” said Peter Ortiz, a member of the San Jose City Council who represents East San Jose. 

Sylvia Arenas, the Santa Clara County Supervisor for District 1, said: “Let us be clear, ICE is not welcome on our county facilities and controlled lands. These lands serve critical needs for our community and immigration enforcement is not one of them,” Arenas said.

Modeled after Chicago 

With an expectation that ICE will increase major operations in the county sooner or later, Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose are modeling their efforts after a similar ordinance recently passed in Chicago.  Public buildings and spaces there are declared ‘off-limits’ to ICE and signs are being distributed.  

“These will be signs of refuge, these will be signs of comfort and safety, these will be signs resistance. These will be signs for the rest of the world to see,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said earlier this month. 

On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan to develop a tiered response to ICE activity.  

The next step is to draft a formal ordinance restricting the use of county properties for immigration enforcement.  Local leaders know ICE can enforce federal law without regard to local regulations, but they can set the stage for future legal challenges. Councilmember Ortiz said no “force related” response is part of the plan and local police will not be utilized. 

What they’re saying:

Advocates for the immigrant community say these actions by elected leaders make a big impact. “Seeing all the elected leaders here take a strong stance and make sure they are protecting our communities reinforces the values of our county and our city of us being a welcoming community,” said Lucila Ortiz with the group Working Partnerships USA.

In a statement to KTVU, ICE said:

“DHS enforces federal immigration law without fear, favor, or prejudice. Claims by the media, agitators, and sanctuary politicians… that ICE is targeting U.S. Citizens, making unconstitutional arrests, and ‘trampling on civil liberties’ are false” said a statement attributed to DHS Assistant Director Tricia McLaughlin. “These types of smears are contributing to our officers facing a more than 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them,” the ICE statement said. 

Santa Clara County’s vote on Tuesday paves the way for a formal “no ICE” ordinance to be drafted. On Wednesday, a committee of the San Jose city council will take up this same issue, which could be immediately referred to full council for a vote. 

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