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CITY ATTORNEY <br />Sonia R. Carvalho <br />CITY MANAGER <br />Alvaro Nuñez <br />CITY CLERK <br />Jennifer L. Hall <br />20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 <br />TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org <br />Councilmember-Requested Item Report <br />DATE <br />May 20, 2025 <br />TOPIC <br />Transparency and Public Notification of ICE/DHS Courtesy Alerts to Santa Ana Police <br />Department <br /> <br />COUNCILMEMBER-REQUESTED ITEM TITLE <br />Discuss and Consider Providing Direction to the City Manager to Develop and <br />Implement a Policy Requiring Immediate Disclosure of All ICE Courtesy Notifications <br />Received by the Santa Ana Police Department <br /> <br />DISCUSSION <br />On May 5, 2025, data-based reporting by journalist Ben Camacho revealed that the <br />Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) received at least forty-two courtesy alerts from <br />U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland <br />Security (DHS) between January 20 and April of this year.1 These notifications informed <br />SAPD that federal immigration agents planned to be active within our city, often during <br />early morning hours. <br />SAPD did not disclose this information to the public, to the Council, or when asked <br />directly about immigration enforcement activity at the February 4, 2025 Santa Ana City <br />Council meeting. Subsequent meetings involving a similar line of questioning also did <br />not mention any of the notifications, as reported by Voice of OC.2 This highlights a <br />transparency gap in regards to ICE’s repeated presence in Santa Ana neighborhoods <br />including near residential areas, schools, and places of worship. Such a transparency <br />gap should be addressed, particularly given our city’s commitment to protecting and <br />supporting all residents, including immigrant and refugee community members. <br />Existing California state law, including the California Values Act (SB 54), and local law <br />both heavily limit the extent to which Santa Ana departments and agencies cooperate <br />with federal immigration enforcement. SAPD clarified that it does not participate in or <br />assist with ICE actions and that alerts are received strictly as a matter of officer safety <br />1 Ben Camacho, “EXCLUSIVE: Santa Ana Police Department Received Forty-Two Alerts From Immigration Agents And Did <br />Not Tell The Community,” Inadvertent, May 5, 2025. https://inadvertent.substack.com/p/sapd-ice-data <br />2 Hosam Elattar, “Have Santa Ana’s Police Chief & City Manager Been Up Front With Residents About ICE Activity?” Voice of <br />OC, May 6, 2025. https://voiceofoc.org/2025/05/has-santa-anas-police-chief-city-manager-been-up-front-with-residents-about- <br />ice-activity/