Redwood City aims to protect undocumented

“As we were in ‘16 and ‘17, as here we are today, we will stand together,” Mayor Jeff Gee said. “The fear, the concern, the anxiety is real and there’s no pretending it’s not there. We need to find a way to support our community again.” 

Councilmember Chris Sturken proposed a preemptive declaration of solidarity with the immigrant community at the council’s Nov. 25 meeting, provoking a conversation over what the city is already doing, what more it can do, and how far to go. Sturken called for the consideration of an ordinance establishing that the city restricts its resources to assist with immigration authorities.

A distinction was made repeatedly throughout the night that the council was not deciding upon whether they would seek status as a “sanctuary city” claiming that it’s a politicized word that could cause “unnecessary strife.” 

“I would hate for community members to think that that’s what we’re here to do or here to decide,” Councilmember Alicia Aguirre said. 

Other councilmembers also said it was a “volatile word” that may incite “ire or hateful comments.” City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz said there is no legal definition of what it means to be a sanctuary city. 

The Los Angeles City Council voted to establish the city as a “sanctuary city” by prohibiting any city resources from being used for an immigration enforcement, which is essentially what is proposed in Redwood City with some exceptions for serious crimes. 

However, the distinction comes from concern over how the incoming presidential administration may react. 

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed mass deportations during his campaign and threats to federal funding to cities that do not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on deportations. 

The preliminary ordinance Sturken proposed ultimately does not change or add significant value to what the city is already doing, Councilmember Diane Howard said, raising the question of its imperativeness. 

“We cannot guarantee people’s safety just by saying we’re a sanctuary city,” Howard said. “What we can do is the things we have been doing all along.” 

Redwood City holds a “welcoming” designation reflecting its commitment to immigrant inclusion, the Redwood City Police Department currently has a noncooperation policy with ICE, and the city has never been asked to participate in immigration enforcement. 

California also has similar protections in place. Legislation designating California as a sanctuary state was signed into law in 2017, barring police from asking people about their immigration status or participating in enforcement. 

Vice Mayor Lissette Espinoza Garnica said they would like for the proposed ordinance to restrict city resources with absolutely no exceptions, believing that someone’s status has no impact on their character or actions. 

“Any exemptions would be feeding into this hysteria that we see that’s really dividing the community, that immigrants are associated with crime, that immigrants are associated with abuse of resources,” Espinoza Garnica said. “That’s essentially prejudice, it’s a bias against immigrants, it’s an irrational fear.”

Espinoza Garnica said conflating immigration with public safety ultimately derails efforts toward addressing the problems that more directly influence crime — such as poverty, health care, access to food, water and shelter. 

However, Howard said Redwood City cannot diminish its commitment to valuing safety and felt such exceptions for egregious crimes of violence were still necessary. 

“If you’re contributing to our community, that gives me joy because we’ve provided a better life for someone coming to Redwood City,” Howard said. “However, if you break the law, if you endanger other people or endanger our community in any way, I don’t want to be protecting you. That’s not going to be my job.” 

As the city considers what it can establish within city policy, councilmembers said efforts will continue to support existing nonprofits and organizations providing services for the immigrant community.

“We need to be laser-focused with our limited resources on how we deal with these challenges headed our way, and they are headed our way, there should be no mistake about that,” Gee said. 

The Redwood City Council voted 4-3 — with Gee, Howard and Councilmember Kaia Eakin opposed — to continue researching and discussing whether they should adopt an ordinance stating the city will restrict use of its resources to assist with immigration authorities. The ordinance will be presented to the new council in the first quarter of 2025.