Correspondence - Item No. 27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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HARBO CAI R ' ANDLON E R INSTITUT FOR IMMIGRANT&ECONOMIC JUSTICE ,_I II-ORN IA National Day Laborer Organizing Network May 19, 2025 Santa Ana City Council 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 Re: Agenda Item #27-Transparency and Public Notification of ICE/DHS Courtesy Alerts to SAPID Dear Mayor Valerie Amezcua and Santa Ana City Council Members, We, the undersigned organizations, write in support of Agenda Item #27. Local residents deserve timely, accurate information about potential federal immigration enforcement activity in their own neighborhoods so they can make informed decisions for themselves and their families. The Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) received at least 42 courtesy alerts from ICE/DHS between January 20 and April of this year.' While courtesy alerts from other agencies are not new, what is alarming is that SAPID did not disclose this information to the public or the Santa Ana City Council when questioned explicitly about immigration enforcement activity at several recent City Council meetings.2 These events highlight a transparency gap regarding ICE/DHS presence in Santa Ana that must be addressed for the City to uphold its commitments to welcoming and supporting all residents. State and local law both already heavily limit how much the City cooperates with federal immigration enforcement. Moreover, SAPID regularly publishes data on firearm seizures despite having no policy directing it to do so. Creating a similar procedure for ICE/DHS courtesy alerts would be a practical step toward strengthening trust in the City, ensuring transparency on issues of community well-being, and increasing clarity about information in the public record that residents should have improved access to. Given the role that federal immigration enforcement presence can play in weakening public safety and eroding trust in community institutions, it is imperative that city leaders act in ways that reflect their dedication to honesty and accountability.3 Community members deserve transparent, steadfast leadership from their local governments-especially in times of increased uncertainty and turmoil. Sincerely, Harbor Institute for Immigrant & Economic Justice Latino Health Access VietRISE South Bay People Power Council on American-Islamic Relations - LA (CAIR-LA) Street Level Health Project National Day Laborer Organizing Network VIDAS Francisco Torres Center for Racial Justice Oasis Legal Services Orange County Justice Fund El Centro Cultural de Mexico South Asian Network CSO Orange County Las Casas California Immigrant Policy Center Buen Vecino Orange County Rapid Response Network Immigrant Legal Resource Center Public Counsel A New PATH Guerrero FFPS (Filipino People in Struggle) East Bay Sanctuary Covenant National Lawyers Guild of LA (NLG-LA) Arab American Civic Council Secure Justice ' Ben Camacho,"EXCLUSIVE:Santa Ana Police Department Received Forty-Two Alerts From Immigration Agents And Did Not Tell The Community," Inadvertent,May 5,2025.inadvertent.substack.com/p/sapd-ice-data 2 Hosam Elattar,"Have Santa Ana's Police Chief&City Manager Been Up Front With Residents About ICE Activity?"Voice of OC,May 6,2025. voiceofoc.ora/2025/05/has-s anta-anas-police-chief-city-manaaer-been-up-front-with-residents-about-ice-activity s For evidence reflecting corrosive effects of immigration enforcement on trust and well-being,see:Francisco Pedraza&Maricruz Osorio,"Courted and Deported:The Salience of Immigration Issues and Avoidance of Police,Health Care,and Education Services among Latinos,"Aztlan 42,no.2 (2017);Vanessa Nichols et al,"Spillover Effects:Immigrant Policing and Government Skepticism in Matters of Health for Latinos,"Public Administration Review 78,no.3(2018);Tom Wong et al.,"How Interior Immigration Enforcement Affects Trust in Law Enforcement,"Perspectives on Politics 19,no.2 (2021).For evidence of null to negative(beneficial) effects of non-cooperation on public safety,see: Daniel Martinez et al,"Providing Sanctuary or Fostering Crime?A Review of the Research on'Sanctuary Cities'and Crime,"Sociology Compass 12,no. 1 (2018);Marta Ascherio, "Do Sanctuary Policies Increase Crime?Contrary Evidence from a County-Level Investigation in the United States,"Social Science Research 106(August 1,2022).