[Read: Thousands of People Rail Against ICE Raids, Other Federal Policies in Orange County<\/a>]<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Santa Ana City Council members directed staff to search for $100,000 or $150,000 from various city departments to bolster their immigrant aid fund that is expected to deplete at the end of the month.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already have asked our finance director to see if we can evaluate adding additional funds. I think if we look across the city agencies for first quarter salary savings, we should be able to come out with some $100,000, $150,000 if we get more than we\u2019ll do that also,\u201d said City Manager Alvaro Nu\u00f1ez at Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n In Fullerton, city council members are gearing up to potentially create a $100,000 general aid fund \u2013 helping impacted residents with things like groceries and rent \u2013 and a $100,000 immigrant legal defense fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fullerton City Councilman Ahmad Zahra, who spearheaded the proposal, said \u201cby creating a flexible fund that we can work with nonprofits in our city to assess the need, that way we can determine how much money we allocate into it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Like Santa Ana, the smaller North Orange County city is also struggling with a budget gap.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Fullerton faces a $10 million deficit, Zahra said opening the aid funds to donations can help ease the blow to city finances.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat way the city\u2019s budget isn\u2019t completely carrying this entire cost.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The expected aid expansion comes as elected leaders in other OC cities call on local police officers to work with immigration enforcement agents \u2013 a move other officials warn would defy state sanctuary law.<\/p>\n [Read: As Immigration Aid Expands in OC, A Westminster Official Wants Police Working With ICE<\/a>]<\/p>\n Santa Ana Looks to Bolster Aid After Recent Sweeps<\/p>\n The expected additional money for Santa Ana\u2019s immigrant aid fund, dubbed Ayuda Sin Fronteras, comes after officials approved the fund three months ago.<\/p>\n At the time, Mayor Valerie Amezcua initially suggested they cancel all city events to free up a $1 million to support immigrant families<\/a> but several of her colleagues opposed that idea and officials ultimately settled on using 10% of the city events budget for the aid program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could have done a lot more with a million dollars, and we could still be doing more,\u201d Amezcua said at Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n Councilman David Penaloza said they can still consider pulling money from city events to bolster the fund.<\/p>\n \u201cStaff have made comments in the past that they have seen a decline in attendance at our festivals so is this really a right way to spend the city\u2019s resources when our city is under attack,\u201d he said at the meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n The expected funding increase comes as local residents and activists called on leaders to heavily bolster the program after 16 people were reportedly arrested Sunday by federal immigration agents \u2013 something elected officials also spoke out against on Tuesday.<\/p>\n An online petition<\/a> calling on Santa Ana officials to continue funding their immigrant aid fund garnered over 1,500 signatures ahead of Tuesday\u2019s discussion.\u00a0<\/p>\n The petition points to the past weekend\u2019s immigration sweeps and calls on city council members to allocate at least a half million dollars to the fund and revisit a previous proposal to set aside $1 million to aid immigrants.<\/p>\n \u201cThese raids are not isolated events. They are part of a growing pattern of fear and intimidation that targets immigrant families who contribute to and strengthen our city,\u201d reads the petition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe City has the opportunity to stand with immigrant families and reaffirm Santa Ana\u2019s commitment to protecting its most vulnerable residents.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilwoman Jessie Lopez supported the move and said they should also increase the separate legal aid fund for immigrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLegal barriers are the number one concern or reason why people are not represented,\u201d she said at the meeting.<\/p>\n Fullerton Takes First Steps to Create Aid Funds<\/p>\n Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung \u2013 an immigrant himself \u2013 said he understands the rising concerns from residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed as it\u2019s been pointed out through much of my life, I am an immigrant and I\u2019m told all the time \u2013 even now \u2013 to go home. So I realize when desperate communities are crying out to help,\u201d Jung said.\u00a0<\/p>\n But, he warned, the city\u2019s facing a dire financial situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are operating on a $10 million paper deficit, that\u2019s\u00a0 not a practical reality, that\u2019s the truth,\u201d Jung said. \u201cI\u2019ve spoken with many of you who\u2019ve asked offline \u2013 I\u2019ve heard you, I understand your consideration and I told you mine. I hope you understand that too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ultimately, City Council members voted 3-2 to direct staff to bring back proposals to create a $100,000 general aid fund and a $100,000 immigrant legal defense fund with Councilman Nick Dunlap and Mayor Jung voting against the move.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to make it clear what we\u2019re doing tonight is we\u2019re just examining possibilities of what we could do at the next meeting,\u201d Councilwoman Shana Charles said.\u00a0<\/p>\n During Tuesday\u2019s public comment portion of the meeting, two people objected to the move while over 20 people supported the aid funds, including local clergy who said their churches rolled out similar initiatives despite tight budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Todd Harrison, a Fullerton resident who\u2019s long advocated for senior mobile home park rent control, spoke at the public comment dais, recalling a time he met a family member who survived the Holocaust when he was younger.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe had blue numbers tattooed down his forearm and now the freaking Nazis are back here again, dividing the country by race,\u201d Harrison said during Tuesday\u2019s meeting. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what makes you stand out, remember you could be next. Current events have certainly very much proven that. There is no limit to the atrocities that prejudice will impose on us.\u201d<\/p>\n City staff said that municipalities can use local tax dollars to help residents impacted by deportation sweeps \u2013 noting they can\u2019t use any federal dollars to assist undocumented immigrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLegal analyses confirm cities may lawfully allocate local General Fund dollars or reserves to support legal defense or humanitarian programs for affected residents,\u201d reads the city staff report<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fullerton City Council members have also long struggled with a rocky budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n City staff also noted that council members could lean on reserves to fund the aid programs.<\/p>\n \u201cCities such as Costa Mesa and Santa Ana identified discretionary funding sources to support similar initiatives. Costa Mesa allocated funds from its General Fund Contingency to provide immediate relief and establish a legal-defense program, while Santa Ana discussed potentially reallocating portions of its Special Events budget to launch a comparable initiative,\u201d reads the staff report<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jody Agius Vallejo, a Fullerton resident and USC professor who specializes in immigration, said deportation raids will soon ramp up because the Department of Homeland Security got a massive boost in federal funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this year, $191 billion<\/a> was allocated to the department, which oversees ICE \u2013 $6 billion more than the U.S. Army\u2019s budget during the last fiscal year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is happening right here under all of our watch,\u201d Agius Vallejo said, adding that impacted residents \u201cneed our support because this is not the end of the people here in your chambers, it is not the end of the stories you\u2019re hearing today and it is not going to stop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200b\u200bHosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0A4A0873.jpg\")
Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0A4A3108.jpg\")
Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Taylor_DowntownFullerton_Oct2025_-19.jpg\")
A view down N. Harbor Blvd. towards Downtown Fullerton on Oct. 5, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Taylor_DowntownFullerton_Oct2025_-13.jpg\")
A view of part of the SOCO District in Downtown Fullerton on Oct. 5, 2025. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n