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Police Chief Raymond Davis stated that because enforcement of immigration law is practically non-existent, Santa Ana has become known as a haven for illegal aliens; that through a survey conducted by the Police Department, its officers are contacting approximately 52 illegal aliens per night; that there is an increase in the street hustlers from Tijuana; that many of them are financing their stay with narcotics trad- ing; that they live 10 to 12 persons in a small apartment; that in estimating the problem, it has been determined that there are upwards of 50,000 illegal aliens in the central city of Santa Aha; that the economic impact amounts to about $54 million in wages; that the Police Department decided to have a community meeting to refute the rumor that the Police Depart- ment planned a sweep action; that a meeting was held on elec- tion night (June 8); that on that night there was a water leak in the City Hall and the meeting had to be moved to the Annex; that the Police Department is working with organizations such as LULAC and the Chamber of Commerce to develop a policy of enforcement while still maintaining a good relationship with the community; and that lessening of the problem of the illegal alien will have an impact on the crime rate. Captain Thayer of the Police Department added that a number of the people who appeared at the Human Relations Commission meeting were from outside Santa Aha. Mildred Cobb stated that the Human Relations Commission is not antagonistic toward what the Police Department is doing; that the people are very emotional about the issue; that people are frightened and that further public meetings would be helpful; that the HRC would like to have the City Council hold a hear- ing, but that the HRC will hold further meetings if the Council so desires; however, that Commissioners feel that the people lack confidence in the Commission, since it does not have the authority to do anything about the situation.. Zeke Hernandez, HRC Commissioner, added that he felt that several mistakes were made: That the Police Department did not allow enough time for meetings to prepare the public for a change in alien enforcement policy; that in his opinion the Police Depart- ment is not well-informed on the number of undocumented persons in the City. The consensus of Council was that there will always be a certain number of complaints from people who have frequent contact with the Police Department; that sensitive problems should be re- solved at the Commission level, with recommendations from.the Commission to the Council; that Councilmen do not wish to set up a confrontation; that there is a great deal of confidence on the part of Councilmen in Chief Davis; that the Police Depart- ment is charged with enforcing the law. Deputy City Manager Manuel Rede expressed an opinion that there is a lot of Mexican-American support in the community for en- forcement of immigration laws, but that they are not vocal. Councilman Ward, with the concurrence of the Councilmen present, encouraged the~Human:Relations Commission to cooperate with the Police:Department to work out a suitable policy regarding the illegal alien problem. CA 131.1 CA 57.1 RECESS the Council Chambers, with At 7:30 P.M. the dinner meeting was recessed, and the Council recon- vened at 7:45 P.M. in Councilmen Evans and Ortiz absent. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 233 JUNE 21, 1976