Redwood City seeks to reassure immigrants: City Council issues statement to welcome all, offer residents assurances

City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz confirmed that though the police practices described in the statement have been in place for several years, the city remained committed to its diversity.

“This is not a new approach for us,” she wrote in an email. “Redwood City has long invested in community building and appreciation for our community’s diversity is part of Redwood City’s DNA.”

As the only Latina on the City Council, Alicia Aguirre said she has been contacted quite a bit recently because of the current political climate. For her, the statement was critical in helping residents feel safe in their community at a time of great uncertainty.

“I think [this statement] is very important for Redwood City specifically because of the population of our residents,” said Councilwoman Alicia Aguirre. “We’ve gotten a lot of letters already about how valuable that is for them that they feel safe.”

Aguirre has seen the uncertainty the legislation has introduced to the lives of the students and parents she works with as a professor of advanced English at Cañada College and through her work with the Redwood City Elementary School District Board of Trustees. She said there are many immigrant and international students at Cañada.

“There is a lot of fear, a lot of fear,” she said.

Aguirre also noted the impact that Redwood City employees from other countries have had on startup and established technology companies that have blossomed in the area.

“We also, in our city, have tons of computer companies, startups and well-established, that come here with visas and give a lot back to our community,” she said. “We definitely needed to do something like this to make sure people know that the city stands behind them.”

According to city officials, inquiries from residents expressing concerns about the future of immigrant employees and residents in the area spurred them to work on a statement reassuring residents that the city would remain inclusive of all.

“It is a reaffirmation of what Redwood City is,” said Mayor John Seybert. “It allows people regardless of their status to seek help from the Police Department when they are victims. By nature of that, it allows us to interact more openly with our community and provide better community policing.”

Both Seybert and Councilwoman Janet Borgens praised the Police Department’s efforts to work closely with the community to date and serve as a model for other cities. Borgens said she looked forward to the department’s leadership in taking community concerns into consideration.

“I think our Police Department does an absolute excellent job in training officers,” she said.

In the same press release, the city also announced it is slated at its Feb. 13 council meeting to consider becoming a Welcoming City, a designation showing support for communities “in their efforts to promote inclusiveness, mutual respect and cooperation.”

“I totally support us becoming a Welcoming City, which we always have been,” said Borgens. “I do believe that these are our neighbors, our workers, our children. I stand by their side.”

Aguirre was unsure of how the council might view this distinction, and said she wouldn’t be surprised if putting labels on the city might be met with hesitance given the Trump administration’s harsh stance on sanctuary cities.

Though Aguirre acknowledged the complexities of remaining inclusive and cognizant of the many perspectives represented in the Redwood City community, she was pleased the city was taking steps to extend support to those feeling fear and uncertainty.

“I think it’s very important that we represent people who don’t have a voice and don’t always come to City Hall because they’re afraid,” she said.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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