Property owned by a local public transit agency may become the latest territory federal immigration agents are blocked from using in Santa Clara County.
VTA’s board of directors on Thursday asked staff to explore a policy to prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity on property it owns, including parking lots, and to continue developing safety protocols ahead of the World Cup in June. A draft policy is expected to go before the board in May.
“VTA serves one of the most diverse counties in the country,” VTA Board Chair Sergio Lopez, who called for the policy alongside several of his colleagues, told San José Spotlight. “This is absolutely something our community wants and needs to feel safe.”
Lopez has called for a similar policy in Campbell where he is a councilmember.
A spokesperson for VTA said staff will thoroughly research and present a proper policy to the board’s request.
“By law, VTA cannot prohibit law enforcement agencies from accessing its facilities, including buses, light rail vehicles, stations and parking areas,” spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross told San José Spotlight. “VTA staff will take the board’s referral under advisement and evaluate whether any updates are appropriate to clarify how employees should respond if ICE officers enter VTA transit facilities.”
This follows actions by San Jose and Santa Clara County leaders, who have passed policies to create ICE-free zones. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously in January to ban ICE agents from using 11 city garages and parking lots, as well as the parking areas of 75 community centers and libraries as staging areas or operational bases.
Lopez said VTA is taking lessons learned from the recent Super Bowl 60 to establish protocols and best practices. The World Cup is coming to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara starting June 13, requiring massive coordination and planning to ensure safety on the public transit agency’s buses and light rail trains. There were fears of ICE activity leading up to the Super Bowl in February, but ultimately the federal agency had no presence during the event.
Mariam Arif, spokesperson for nonprofit Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), said they welcome VTA’s efforts to be prepared ahead of the World Cup. SIREN is part of the Rapid Response Network, a group of volunteers that watches for and observes ICE activity.
“It will help ensure that public transit remains safe and accessible for all,” Arif told San José Spotlight. “As we all have witnessed in the recent past, immigrant communities are experiencing heightened fear and trauma. Policies like this are critical to reducing fear in immigrant communities and affirming that essential public spaces should not be used for enforcement actions.”
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X.