The Watsonville City Council and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday both unanimously passed resolutions to support the immigrant community, days before reelected President Donald Trump prepares to retake the office on Jan. 20.
Trump has promised a hardline stance on immigrants, including beginning mass deportations on his first day in office.
But the message from Watsonville Police Chief Jorge Zamora, who gave a brief presentation to the City Council, was succinct: local police will not assist federal immigration authorities.
The immigrant community, Zamora said, “is integral to the social and economic fabric of our region.”
“I want to be clear and let our community know that we will not seek out or detain people based solely on their immigration status,” he said. “We do not care about your immigration status.”
There have been no reports locally of raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But a large scale raid in Kern County on Jan. 7 of a Home Depot parking lot and a breakfast spot where many migrant laborers congregate has shocked many, and is seen as a portent of future action.
In passing the resolution, the council was reaffirming the city’s status as a “sanctuary city,” which was passed in 2007.
“It is important for the city of Watsonville to reaffirm its commitment to support and protect the safety and well-being of immigrants in our community that may be arrested and deported due to these policies,” Zamora said.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors, meanwhile, passed a resolution that reestablishes the county as a “welcoming county for immigrants and refugees.”
The supervisors also approved $25,000 to fund “know your rights” ads on Spanish radio, television and social media, and print 20,000 wallet-sized “know your rights” redcards to distribute throughout the county.
“Monterey County is once again a leader when it comes to supporting and defending our immigrant workers and families,” said Supervisor Luis Alejo, who co-chairs the Monterey County Immigration Rights Ad Hoc Committee. “The Board of Supervisors unanimously reaffirmed that we are a Welcoming County for immigrants and we are committed to deploying resources that informs immigrants on their rights in light of the planned massive deportations targeting them”
Alejo added that immigrants were called ‘essential workers’ during the pandemic.
“Now, they are asking for us to be there for them when they need us,” Alejo said.
Zamora said that Trump’s impending inauguration already has many people on edge.
“The fear is real,” he said. “There are people who are not going out to buy groceries, they’re staying in their home- they’re isolated.”
Watsonville Police now do migrant education, going out into the fields and telling people what their rights are.
“It is imperative that we maintain a connection with these people, and as a police agency the last thing we want is for someone not to call the police when they need us the most,” Zamora said. “This resolution reaffirms the City of Watsonville’s dedication to its immigrant community during a time of uncertainty. It sends a strong message of solidarity and support, ensuring all residents feel valued and protected regardless of their immigration status.”
Kate Hinnenkamp, who oversees Community Action Board’s Immigration Project, said that everyone within the borders of the U.S. has the same constitutional rights such as the right to remain silent. Agents from ICE still need probable cause to detain someone, she said.
“We understand that there are laws that have to be enforced, but there are rules about how and when those laws can be enforced,” she said. “Somebody cannot be stopped, detained, questioned just based on the color of their skin or because they are dressed like a farmworker.”
Watch out undocumentos! here comes the man with the orange hair and the great big broom
Hey Dave!
Good to hear you chime in. All the cronies in Watsonville and Monterey are crapping enough bricks to build a pyramid. They know what’s coming. The central coast and indeed all of the sanctuary cities in California will be high on Tom Holman hit parade and there is nothing they can do about it. Yes they will not help iCE but they don’t need help they will show up at all the usual spots and round them up. Also I heard another interesting tidbit working its way to the top and that is any money sent out of the country will need the sender to provide ID. This will hamper the drug cartels and also prevent sending money home from illegals in America. The party starts Monday. Dave do you have your cigars and scotch ready???
we did not vote for him!
But you’ve got him sweetheart – for four painful years
Hey Dave!
I see that the soon to be ex Cabrillo Trustee has re-emerged from his devastating rebuke from the board of Cabrillo once again to stain this forum
No worries. Just as we did not vote for dementia Joe and he did not vote for
President Donald J Trump he is now our President and yes he is the ex Trustees President also. Say his name ST say it loud and say it strong he will be deporting criminal aliens 4 years long!
Dave Todd Guild needs clicks on his website I don’t need to comment on ST
Post and I will have my Scotch and Cigar on Monday and watch ST rant for 4 years hahahahahahahaha Happy New Year Ex Trustee!
First amendment you know
Actually we did vote for Trump and we WON. You LOST. Dont be a threat to democracy.
Dave!
From their website
Anonymous tips may be reported to ICE via the toll-free ICE Tip Line, (866) 347-2423
Sad they play these scare tactics.. If you’re not causing problems and are not having run-ins with the law you should be fine if you’re an undocumented immigrant. These supervisors have nothing better to do, maybe you should prepare for what happened in LA instead of focusing on scaring the latino community.
If people aren’t going out to buy groceries it’s because these supervisors went out the day after the election to warn them that Trump is going to go out and get them and how they are the saving angels to help from them. All they do is scare and suppress our people, Democrats have been in power locally and state wide for years, and we aren’t being taken care of. They should focus on protecting everyone, we see what happened in LA, learn from it. Learn why Trump got elected. Educated fools.
Why would any of us want criminally behaving illegals here??
Insist that our law enforcement officials cooperate with ice to get those people outta here!
How many tens of thousands of people with bad intentions have come here in the last few years???
they pay taxes to support Medicare, Social Security and unemployment insurance, WHICH THEY CANNOT COLLECT! they harvest our crops, fix our cars, provide child care and senior care. prepare food in our restaurants and do endless jobs that many native born Americans will NOT DO, the reason our economy is so strong and vibrant is because they are a big part of it.
i am so proud of our city to give donnne the middle finger salute. I fully support their actions.
NO COOPERATION with Mr. Hohman or his fascist thugs.
No one believes these lies anymore. Illegals support medicare? Social Security? Gavin Newson and socialist CA democrats have spent billions of our hard earned money providing unlimited services to citizens of other counties while doing nothing for the citizens of California. Just look at Los Angeles Newsom has been saying for years the wildfires are coming but diverted endless dollars to illegal immigrants and doing nothing for fire prevention.
Support medicare?
READ THIS FACT: While citizens faced with medical bills struggle to pay, California spends billions of dollars annually on healthcare for illegal aliens. More than a quarter million illegal aliens aged 50 and older received comprehensive taxpayer-funded Medi-Cal health insurance after Newsom signed legislation in July 2021. California will expand full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to undocumented adults ages 26 through 49 starting on January 1, 2024. This is payed for by US citizens.
They harvest our crops? Yes, as slave labor! The Oligarchs Steve supports only care about exploiting cheap labor and trafficking women and children. AMERICANS WILL gladly take these jobs if the Corporate scum would pay a decent wage. Steve insults every American citizen with this Oligarch overlords lie!
I hope to see Steve front and center with his middle finger salute while they deport the law breakers! We will all breath a sigh of relief when he is hauled off to prison. And no this is not fascism, it is JUSTICE!
Here are some of the government benefits illegal aliens enjoy in California:
During the pandemic, when Newsom’s lockdown regime forced countless law-abiding business owners out of work, California doled out $75 million in taxpayer dollars to 150,000 illegal aliens.
The State of California set aside almost $100 million to pay “direct cash assistance” for illegal aliens who lost their jobs due to storms in 2022 and 2023.
California’s Employment Development Department provides Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave benefits to illegal immigrants who apply. No social security number is required.
In-state tuition, financial aid, and institutional scholarships at California colleges and universities are available to illegal aliens.
While citizens faced with medical bills struggle to pay, California spends billions of dollars annually on healthcare for illegal aliens. More than a quarter million illegal aliens aged 50 and older received comprehensive taxpayer-funded Medi-Cal health insurance after Newsom signed legislation in July 2021. California will expand full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to undocumented adults ages 26 through 49 starting on January 1, 2024.
Additionally, Governor Newsom’s sanctuary state policy strains government resources:
California public schools, which already deal with overcrowded classrooms and poor educational outcomes for students, are spending about $1.8 billion annually to accommodate the children of illegal immigrants.
In California, about 250,000 K-12 students – one in every eight students in the public education system – are undocumented, according to a 2020 report published by the California teacher’s union CTA. In total, CTA reports that about 750,000 students in California are children of illegal aliens.
State and local funding totals $13,686 per student, on average, in California. Multiplied by 250,000 students, it costs Californians more than $3.4 billion per year to fund school for undocumented immigrants.
That $3.4 billion annual cost is only for K-12; it does not count the massive costs of nearly 100,000 illegal aliens enrolled in California’s public colleges and universities, who are eligible for state-funded financial aid.
Already overcrowded emergency rooms in places like San Diego are dealing with a surge in illegal aliens who require extra services, forcing hospitals to take time away from their core duties. Hospitals report that most of the illegal aliens who show up at emergency rooms are not seriously ill or in need of immediate medical attention – which means they are unnecessarily taking scarce resources from people who are having actual medical emergencies.
Immigration detainees are straining already overcrowded California prisons.
But the true costs of California’s “sanctuary state” policy are much more than financial. In conjunction with Biden’s open border agenda, Newsom’s sanctuary policy has cost innocent lives. One victim is Karen Ruiz, a 35-year-old mom who was murdered in Pacoima in 2021 in front of her 3-year-old child .
Herbert Nixon Flores, a 46-year-old criminal alien with an extensive criminal history, murdered Karen Ruiz in front of her child.
Flores was a career criminal from El Salvador who had violated immigration law and many other laws, including domestic violence, for almost 30 years.
Months before the murder, the LAPD arrested Flores for a domestic violence with injury charge. ICE attempted to deport Flores at that time, but the LAPD did not honor ICE’s immigration detainer due to California’s sanctuary policy. If the detainer was honored, Flores would have been sent back to El Salvador – and Karen Ruiz would still be alive today.
Wow I am speechless wonderfully said MAGA forever!
Relax take a deep breath think of it as God’s punishment for people putting their weenies in the wrong hole
Since when is Watsonville in Monterey County! I thought they were in Santa Cruz County?