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Ao" <br />S�tVCICCRORRND <br />February 2, 2016 <br />Dear Mayor Pulido and Councilmembers Amezcua, Benavides, Martinez, Reyna, Sarmiento, and <br />Tinajero, <br />Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD) strongly opposes <br />agenda item 25D, which would execute a five-year amendment with U.S. Immigration and Customs <br />Enforcement (ICE) that will increase the allowed number of ICE detainees that are housed in the <br />Santa Ana jail. <br />We urge you to vote against this amendment, as it runs directly counter to the values of the City of <br />Santa Ana. The City of Santa Ana and its elected representatives should never condone or support <br />ICE deportations, which tear families apart and cause unimaginable social, emotional, and economic <br />damage to our communities. <br />This issue is not new to the City Council. In 2014, during the City's Strategic Planning Process, Santa <br />Ana residents stated repeatedly and emphatically that they strongly oppose any City contracts with <br />ICE, and asked the City Council to phase out the ICE contract with the City jail. Given the long and <br />robust history of community opposition, this agenda item in no way qualifies to be part of the <br />consent calendar. Its contents and implications are far beyond the scope of an administrative <br />matter, and failing to allow for full discussion by the City Council impedes transparency and <br />democratic governance in our city. <br />It is deeply concerning that the City not only failed to respond to public opposition in 2014, but is <br />now proposing expanding ICE's capacity for housing deportees in the City jail. Santa Ana remains a <br />city of immigrants and a city of families. We strongly encourage you to remove agenda item 25D <br />from the consent calendar and vote in opposition to its execution. <br />Respectfully, <br />Ada Briceno <br />Executive Director <br />Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development <br />