City Council moves to restrict ICE enforcement on city-controlled public property in Fresno

The City Council has established a policy that aims to restrict the use of city-owned or city-controlled property, including municipal offices, civic centers, public parks and libraries, for federal immigration enforcement activities in Fresno.

Councilmembers Annalisa Perea and Nelson Esparza brought the resolution forward at Thursday’s council meeting in response to a recent surge of ICE arrests across the region. It prohibits any city department, employee or official from allowing city property to be used for staging any civil immigration enforcement operation. That includes for surveillance, temporarily detaining individuals, or as operational bases.

Over a dozen people spoke out in support of the policy, including Melissa Figueroa, a Central Valley organizer with the California Immigrant Policy Center.

“You all have a responsibility,” Figueroa said to the council during public comment, urging support for the resolution. “Our community members need to feel safe while they’re in parks, while they go to the library, while they step out of their house, and we’re not seeing that.”

Councilmember Tyler Maxwell noted a drop in attendance at some community events his office has sponsored in public spaces since President Donald Trump took office and ICE enforcement increased across the country.

“Something as simple as a poetry reading that we used to have a large attendance for has declined because the parents don’t want to bring their kids out to participate,” Maxwell said. “I think that’s really sad, and I think that really shows how deaf this administration is to the fears that are happening in our own backyard, when we can’t even provide government resources and basic health resources to folks in the community.”

Sukaina Hussain, deputy executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, emphasized the “great fear” immigrant families are feeling in Fresno to the council, and how many are staying away from public spaces like parks.

“When we see in cities across California, ICE setting up operations, doing staging, doing surveillance, conducting operations out of public spaces, then those public spaces become places of fear, instead of places of belonging and where families should gather.”

The resolution passed 6-1 on the consent calendar. It follows a recent vote by the council to reestablish a $1 million Immigrant Legal Defense Fund to assist residents facing deportation, championed by councilmember Miguel Arias.

Dyer says he does not ‘sit on the fence’ when it comes to immigration

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer pushed back on a few comments from the public at Thursday’s meeting, when someone said Dyer “sits on the fence” when it comes to immigration issues. He pointed out a policy passed when he was police chief that prohibited Fresno’s officers from participating in immigration enforcement or inquiring about a person’s documentation status.

“I’ve spoken out at the state level, nationally and locally, about the tactics being utilized by ICE, the fact that they are archaic tactics that have been abandoned by law enforcement 25 years ago,” Dyer said. “I’ve also spoken out about the individuals in which they’ve targeted for arrest. People who are hardworking families in our community.”

Dyer said he had a phone call with the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday to convey those concerns, hoping that the message would get to Trump.

“I give them credit; they’ve secured the borders, but the immigration enforcement on the interior has been something that is shocking,” Dyer said.

He asked the council how this resolution would be enforced. Perea said the resolution sets the intent and “respectfully requests” that the city manager’s office work with the council moving forward on how to best implement it.

“I just hope there’s not an expectation that we’re going to have armed police officers going out and confronting armed ICE agents, because I can’t see any good coming from that,” Dyer said. “Now if this is about notifying the federal government that ICE is not welcome on city property, I can understand that.”

A few other California cities have taken similar steps to restrict ICE enforcement on city-owned property, along with other local efforts as well. Los Angeles and Santa Ana have advanced policies prohibiting city employees from taking second jobs with federal immigration enforcement agencies this year.

“I think on this item to a degree, it’s somewhat symbolic, but it also sets the tone,” Councilmember Mike Karbassi said.

ICE and DHS did not respond to a request for comment from The Bee.