The San Fernando City Council held initial discussions about whether they should adopt a “sanctuary city” status during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The matter will be brought back before the council at a later date for them to vote on the designation.
The discussion and consideration regarding sanctuary status was agendized by Vice Mayor Mary Solorio, who began her comments by recounting a personal story.
“I was separated from my parents for a while,” said Solorio. “It was a very difficult struggle for myself, for my family, for my mom and my dad on their journey to become citizens.”
She recognized that many in the community are now undergoing the same struggle because of current immigration policies.
“We are a community of immigrants here in San Fernando,” said Solorio. “Today we heard from our school board member, our assemblymember, our senator, residents, business owners, children of immigrant families, immigrants themselves, DACA recipients, all in favor of us moving forward with an ordinance, resolution, updating policies.”
The chambers were full, with overwhelming support for the designation expressed by the community during public comments.
Public Comments
Jorge Boche, a teacher at Maclay Middle School, was the first to speak, pointing out that 34.4% of the City of San Fernando’s residents are immigrants, many facing the impact of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, including expected mass raids and deportations.
“A sanctuary policy here in San Fernando city could ensure that local resources are not used for federal immigrant enforcement,” said Boche. “Such policies can help reduce fear among residents, especially given the high percentage of foreign-born individuals in the city.”
Other teachers in the area, such as Nicole Moore from San Fernando High School, Jessica Martin from César Chávez Learning Academies (CCLA) and California State University Northridge (CSUN) and Olivia Natureman from CCLA, also expressed support for the sanctuary city designation. They said that students who may be undocumented or live in mixed-status households are expressing immense fear in the current political climate.
Natureman shared a story about one student, whose father was detained by immigration enforcement after he dropped her off at school.
“He was gone for six months, and the impact it had on her, her academics, her mental health – she really descended into depression and fear,” said Natureman. “We’re seeing this cycle repeat. I have student after student who are not coming to school. They have concerns with their families and fear.”
Residents, business owners and members of the undocumented community also weighed in.
“As a daughter of undocumented parents, I understand firsthand the fear of uncertainty that comes with living in a community where federal immigration authorities have access to sensitive data,” said Liz Castaneda, a City of San Fernando resident, CSUN student, small business owner and member of San Fernando Chamber of Commerce. “I am deeply committed to the well-being of all the residents of our city. I ask for your support in making San Fernando a safe place for our undocumented community members.”
“I am a DACA recipient and a part of the undocumented community,” said Zayurit Gordillo-Lopez. “I attend the San Fernando Outdoor markets. I work with the San Fernando City Chamber, as well as the San Fernando Mall Association. I don’t believe I am a criminal in my own community. … So I urge you to please keep me safe.”
Justin Torres, a social worker whose family has lived in the City of San Fernando for generations, said, “My family’s been crossing these borders before they were borders, before this was the United States, before it was even Mexico.” He added that these federal policies embolden hate and violence.
“History repeats itself, and as long as we are on the side that focuses on inclusiveness, and joy and support we’ll always be on the right side,” said Torres.
Public officials also shared their support for the sanctuary city designation. Brandon Gomez read a statement on behalf of State Sen. Caroline Menjivar.
“As a daughter of immigrants, I stand united with all of my constituents’ ability to feel safe in their communities,” it read. “Let’s focus on investing in our backyards and uplifting our residents, and let’s send a message that this city will not stand for the demonization of our neighbors.”
Watch the full public comments below:
Council Comments
Solorio encouraged her fellow councilmembers to collectively express their ideas and come up with a policy that would protect immigrants within the community.
Their responses were split, with Councilmember Patty Lopez expressing favor, Councilmember Victoria Garcia expressing opposition and Councilmember Joel Farjardo and Mayor Mary Mendoza requesting more information before making their decision.
Lopez said as an immigrant she vehemently supports the designation, adding that this should be addressed at the federal level instead of becoming a local issue.
“It’s been over 40 years since we have had any immigration reform. Both parties are failing our constituents, our families,” said Lopez. “I don’t know why it takes us so long to fix this broken system. … Federal [representatives] are the ones that have to fix those laws.”
Garcia reminded everyone that as an attorney, she represented undocumented individuals on their path to citizenship and that everyone on the council deeply values the immigrant community. Her opposition, she claims, stems from her passion for protecting those experiencing human trafficking.
“I will not support anything that does not go after people that hurt children and that hurt other people,” said Garcia fighting back tears. “People may be members of a cartel and living in LA or living in San Fernando, and I would not protect them.”
The designation of sanctuary status does not mean that those who commit crimes will not be arrested and prosecuted. Rather, it is a statement that local officials and law enforcement will not use local resources to aid immigration authorities or supply information regarding immigration status to federal authorities.
As San Fernando Police Chief Fabian Valdez pointed out, the police department already abides by this type of policy, as California has designated itself a “sanctuary state” under the California Values Act (SB 54).
The sanctuary city designation would extend these policies more holistically across all city departments.
Fajardo asked procedural questions and for more information to be provided regarding: how much funding the City of San Fernando receives from the federal government and if it could be withheld by the Trump administration if they accepted the designation; what would happen if the conservative-leaning Supreme Court decided such designations to be illegal; and examples of similar designations in other cities, such as Burbank and the city of Los Angeles.
“I agree with some of the sentiments of my colleagues,” said Mendoza. “I’m going to wait for some of the information to come back, for us to make a more informed decision.”
The council will reconvene once the requested information has been provided and decide on the sanctuary city designation.
“I want to make sure that we’re just not speculating about things that could happen months from now, years from now, but that we are taking action today,” said Solorio. “That today, we are going to stand up for our immigrant community.”
Watch the full council discussion below: