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Dozens of ICE agents are expected to be deployed to Levi\u2019s Stadium, its parking lots and periphery areas during the Super Bowl. San Jose Spotlight file photo.<\/p>\nDozens of ICE agents are expected to be deployed to Levi\u2019s Stadium, its parking lots and periphery areas during the Super Bowl. San Jose Spotlight file photo.<\/p>\n
Federal agents are anticipated to be in the South Bay ahead of the Super Bowl, as the nation grapples with increased violence related to immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been local concern U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be out in force during the national sports event taking place Feb. 8 at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara. One San Jose official is raising the alarm, while a local group of advocates that documents immigration enforcement in the region is preparing to stand watch.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The U.S. Department of Homeland Security) is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup,\u201d Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight in a statement. \u201cWe will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel. Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
District 5 San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz said he saw an internal memo sent out by the Department of Homeland Security, which said ICE agents will be landing at Moffett Federal Airfield Feb. 6. The airfield is a military airport in Mountain View.<\/p>\n
Dozens of ICE agents are expected to be deployed to\u00a0Levi\u2019s Stadium<\/a>, its parking lots and periphery areas during the Super Bowl. This would be the largest concentration of agents Santa Clara County has seen since President Donald Trump began his campaign of mass deportations, Ortiz said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a game and families have the vulnerability to be impacted,\u201d Ortiz told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI\u2019ve been warning the city and our community. People, unfortunately, haven\u2019t really taken this seriously, which is why I introduced more than six different memos with the City Council.\u201d<\/p>\n But one person listening is Otto Lee, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. At Tuesday\u2019s board meeting, Lee said ICE agents would be arrested at the Super Bowl if a situation like the\u00a0Minneapolis killings<\/a>\u00a0happened in Santa Clara.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Super Bowl will be coming soon to our county, ICE already said they will be here. Let me be absolutely clear \u2014 no one is above the law, there is no such thing as absolute immunity and there is no license to kill,\u201d Lee said at the meeting. \u201cIf anyone comes into our county masked, spreading terror, breaking laws or threatening our residents, they will be arrested by our sheriff deputies and police officers.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0Rapid Response Network<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a group of volunteers that documents ICE activity, sends alerts to the community and provides free emergency legal support for immigrants \u2014 will be increasing its capacity during the\u00a0Super Bowl<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring large-scale public events, such as major sporting events, our team reinforces its preparation to address community concerns and respond with responsibility and care,\u201d a spokesperson for the network told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe want people to know that they are not alone and that there are resources available for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Residents have been on edge since an\u00a0ICE officer killed an American citizen<\/a>\u00a0in Minneapolis, Minnesota earlier this month, sparking nationwide protests. Further violence has broken out in Minneapolis after Renee Good\u2019s death, with federal immigration officers killing another U.S. citizen,\u00a0Alex Pretti<\/a>, on Saturday. Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse at a veterans hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cI know there is immense fear in the community,\u201d San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said\u00a0in a post on X<\/a>. \u201cAs our region prepares for Super Bowl and the threat that ICE may conduct enforcement activities in the area, I want to make one thing very clear: our San Jose police officers are here to keep you safe. They cannot and will not interrupt or assist with legal immigration enforcement \u2014 but they will protect you, your freedoms and our city.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Santa Clara Police Department said the agency doesn\u2019t necessarily receive advance warning of ICE\u2019s presence. As the agency responsible for\u00a0public safety<\/a>\u00a0at Levi\u2019s Stadium, police officers have\u00a0undergone preparations<\/a>\u00a0for large events such as crowd control and tactical training.<\/p>\n \u201cThe focus on public safety includes coordinating with event organizers and other partners to implement robust security measures for all events at Levi\u2019s Stadium and in the city of Santa Clara,\u201d Lt. Eric Lagergren told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Brian McCarthy, spokesperson for the National Football League, said the organization is working with federal and local agencies to ensure the safety of Super Bowl attendees. He also pointed to a news release sent during the Super Bowl in 2016, in which ICE agents were deployed to Levi\u2019s Stadium to conduct operations against counterfeit vendors selling game-related sportswear and\u00a0\u201ccontributing to security measures.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConsistent with previous Super Bowls as a (special event assessment rating) 1 event, our security team has worked with federal, state, local and private sector partners over the past two years to develop extensive plans to provide a safe and secure environment at our events and on gameday,\u201d McCarthy told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n ICE\u2019s presence in Santa Clara County will be felt among families who are already vulnerable, Ortiz said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to increase the level of tension and fear in our area,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re already seeing that they are scared to go out to eat, scared to go to the local corner store, scared to send their kids to school.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose has been on the forefront of preparing for ICE activity, specifically during the\u00a0major sporting events<\/a>\u00a0taking place this year. The city has made the effort to\u00a0educate businesses<\/a>\u00a0and organizations ahead of the events and create contingency plans for ICE operations, which includes\u00a0deescalation<\/a>\u00a0efforts and connection to services.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the city does not direct or control federal law enforcement operations, our role is clear: to protect public safety, uphold civil and constitutional rights and ensure that people can participate in community life and major events without fear or disruption,\u201d Zulma Maciel, director of the city\u2019s Office of Racial and Social Equity, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n San Jose has passed multiple policies to protect immigrants, including\u00a0banning ICE from wearing masks<\/a>\u00a0in the city and using city-owned lots for\u00a0staging grounds<\/a>. And while Santa Clara County has also created\u00a0ICE-free zones<\/a>\u00a0on its properties, these actions don\u2019t apply to places like Levi\u2019s Stadium, which is not on county property or within San Jose\u2019s boundaries.<\/p>\n To enhance safety, officials are urging residents to sign up for free emergency text alerts that will inform of incidents including traffic disruptions and heightened police presence in the vicinity. People who want to receive alerts can text SBLX to 888-777. The Rapid Response Network is encouraging immigrants in need of support to contact the 24\/7 hotline at 408-290-1144.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, the city cannot directly impede targeted immigration enforcement. The federal government has their charge to able to do that,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cWhat we can do is just do everything we can to support our community, make sure that they know their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n