SAN JOSE LEADERS ARE PUSHING to identify all city-owned properties and develop a plan to prohibit any federal immigration activity on them.<\/p>\n
Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Domingo Candelas and Rosemary Kamei introduced the policy during the Rules and Open Governance Committee on Wednesday, which was unanimously approved and will be considered by the full City Council at a later date. San Jose\u2019s proposal comes on the heels of Santa Clara County passing a similar policy Tuesday to create an inventory of vacant lots, garages and other county-owned spaces federal authorities might use for\u00a0immigration enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The county\u2019s plan and San Jose\u2019s proposal mark the start of a spreading, national movement to lock U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out of certain areas after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an Oct. 6 executive order\u00a0laying out similar rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city of San Jose was recently named the\u00a0safest big city<\/a>\u00a0in the entire country,\u201d Candelas said at the meeting. \u201cThis is undoubtedly because we are a welcoming city for all and we will not play a role in targeted attacks against any resident in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposal initially included language to develop a policy that ensures city-owned properties are only used for city purposes. But Vice Mayor Pam Foley said the language was too broad, as the city also rents its facilities to outside organizations. She suggested prohibiting the use of city facilities \u2014 including parking lots, garages and vacant land \u2014 from ICE activity. Councilmembers approved that change.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate your intent, I just want to clarify the intent and make sure we\u2019re all moving in the same direction,\u201d Foley said at the meeting.<\/p>\n San Jose has implemented several policies this year to protect its immigrant communities, including\u00a0prohibiting law enforcement from masking<\/a>\u00a0in the city and\u00a0investing $1 million<\/a>\u00a0to bolster immigrant defense organizations such as\u00a0Amigos de Guadalupe<\/a>.\u00a0San Jose\u2019s population of nearly 1 million residents is made up of\u00a041% immigrants<\/a>.<\/p>\n Councilmembers have also directed staff to do an analysis of San Jose\u2019s investments in order to divest from corporations with potential ties to ICE. City workers will report back in March.<\/p>\n After an\u00a0ICE agent impersonating a police officer<\/a>\u00a0removed a man from the day worker center in September, San Jose leaders put together a plan to improve employer education and increase public safety. This includes working with sports venues including SAP Center, PayPal Park and Levi\u2019s Stadium to enhance immigrant safety during the\u00a0major sports events<\/a>\u00a0next year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city of San Jose was recently named the\u00a0safest big city\u00a0in the entire country. \u2026 This is undoubtedly because we are a welcoming city for all and we will not play a role in targeted attacks against any resident in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Domingo Candelas <\/p>\n ICE has conducted large-scale operations in cities such as\u00a0Los Angeles<\/a>\u00a0and San Francisco since President Donald Trump\u00a0took office<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year. Santa Clara County has not seen the level of crackdown so far.<\/p>\n More than 100 federal agents are expected to arrive at the U.S. Coast Guard base in Alameda Thursday to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection activities, according to the\u00a0San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>. This follows Trump\u2019s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles, Portland, Washington D.C. and Memphis to assist ICE.<\/p>\n \u201cICE is coming\u2026 please make no mistake. This one-hour drive will not deter them,\u201d Kimberly Woo, an organizer at Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, said at the meeting. \u201cThis policy is urgent. We need courageous leaders now to say no to ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n Ortiz said city officials are still preparing for the possibility of mass enforcement actions coming to San Jose, and is not ruling out raids during the Super Bowl or World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are already hearing claims about the Super Bowl,\u201d Ortiz told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cSo we know that eventually (President Donald Trump is) going to target our city. What are we going to do in the meantime in preparation for that? That\u2019s why I\u2019ve introduced policies.\u201d<\/p>\n Ortiz has taken the lead on bringing six ICE-related proposals to the dais this year. His District 5 in East San Jose has a large population of Latino residents.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s not being made by the council, it\u2019s not going to get done,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cI have been pressing that issue, and I think the community sees that. And it\u2019s not (just) me, we\u2019re doing this in partnership. We\u2019re making the city put money where their mouth is.\u201d<\/p>\n Contact Joyce Chu at\u00a0joyce@sanjosespotlight.com\u00a0or @joyce_speaks on X.<\/p>\n