A smattering of officials from the region gathered at the Buena Park City Hall Tuesday morning to not only express their outrage but to let the community know that ICE raids were costing cities and traumatizing children.
“This is not the California we strive to be,” said District 65 Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, who organized the press conference.
“Fruits and vegetables are rotting in the fields. We know shipments are being delayed, shelves are thinning,” she said.
“This is not just a problem for farmers, but a problem for families across California who depend on these goods and services,” said Quirk-Silva.
“We stand today not just as elected officials, but as representatives of communities affected by the ICE (Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids,” said Buena Park Mayor Joyce Ahn.
“These actions are not merely enforcement measures. They tear families apart and instill fear in our neighborhoods. The economic impact here in Buena Park is also significant. Local businesses suffer when workers are afraid to show up, affecting housing and education,” she said.
“I am committed to restoring normalcy and supporting the economic growth we fought for because recent disruptions impact not only our residents but also the backbone of our economy,” the mayor said.
“Our entrepreneurs and workers face unprecedented challenges, and it’s time to unite in support of their resilience. The recent raid at a local restaurant disrupted the lives of kitchen laborers and even customers were interviewed while they’re dining, highlighting the fear these actions create,” said Ahn.
“These overzealous ICE activities sow fear and hate, instigating racial division and undermining our efforts to unite our multi-racial city,” she said.
“I want to speak directly to the students and families in our community,” said Fullerton College President Cynthia Olivo, “especially those who may be feeling fear, uncertainty or distress in the light of recent immigration enforcement actions in Southern California.”
“Let me say this clearly and unequivocally. Fullerton College stands with you. We know that many of our students come from immigrant, mixed-status or undocumented families, and we want you to know that we are committed to protecting your right to pursue an education in safety, dignity, and peace. California is home to some of the strongest protections in the country for undocumented and immigrant communities,” said Olivo.
Another mayor, Ali Taj, from Artesia, said “my community has been impacted just like every community in California. There are 483 cities across this state, and my community derives its revenues mostly through retail businesses and not through property taxes.”
And last year through this year, we looked at the numbers and the numbers are horrific, said Taj.
“This year, businesses are being impacted. Our sales taxes are down, and the message here is please stop, stop, stop. Enough is enough,” the Artesia mayor said.“You may not be directly affected,” said 2nd District Orange County Supervisor Vincent Sarmiento, “but you will feel it in our economy.”
He said that once bustling streets are now empty and that many businesses are shuttered.
“Those who withstood the pandemic will not be able to withstand this,” said Sarmiento.
“This isn’t the country that we all recognize. It’s something we can’t even fathom in our worst nightmares,” the OC Supervisor said.
“This has turned into an authoritarian place where people for simply being brown are being targeted, and that’s a very unfortunate thing for us to witness,” said Sarmiento.
He praises judges in the Eastern District and the Central District who issued the temporary stay, suggesting the effort was a wholesale violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“I see people, unfortunately, whose Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated. They’re being racially profiled,” said Sarmiento.
“This isn’t what anybody signed up for,” he added, “not even in our worst nightmare.”
Some, like Fullerton School Board member Vanessa Estrella, suggested her own story reflects the tragedy of the current, misdirected enforcement effort.
“My name is Vanessa Estrella. I am a mother, a school board leader, a small business owner, and a proud daughter of immigrants. I came to this country as an undocumented child. I remember the fear in our home, the whispers,” she said.
That fear shaped my childhood, and today I see that same fear returning to our neighborhoods because ICE is once again targeting our communities. But let’s be clear, this is not public safety, this is cruelty, this is trauma, and it’s wrong,” she said.
“Our undocumented families are not criminals. They are workers, they are parents, they are students who make this country stronger every day,” she said.
“They pay taxes, they open businesses, they serve our schools, they care for our children and elders. They are the backbone of Orange County. As a school board leader, I see the harm this causes in our classrooms, children who sit in fear, unsure if their mom or dad will be home when they get there. That is not the kind of world we should accept,” Estrella said.
The entire press conference is now available on YouTube.
The ENE has reached out to ICE for a statement just as Congress has awarded the overall immigration effort with a new infusion of more than $170 billion available through 2029, which includes $30 billion for ICE agents, bonuses, and other needs.
ICE Border tsar Tom Homan has assured others protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not intimidate agents because “we’re going to do the job that President Trump gave us to do.”
Meanwhile, other fallouts continue as Senate Bill 627, also known as the “No Secret Police Act,” is currently making its way through the California legislative process. The bill, which aims to prohibit law enforcement from concealing their faces during official duties, has passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee and is now headed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
And locally, Lt. Col. Daniel J. Fox has announced that processing has begun to demobilize previously federalized troops are being returned to their state guard duty (see related story).