Elected officials are once again declaring Anaheim to be a “welcoming city” without explicitly bolstering protections for undocumented immigrants that some local activists have been calling for.
It comes as President Donald Trump’s administration continues the federal immigration crackdown and vows to challenge sanctuary states like California.
Leaders in Orange County’s largest cities including Anaheim, Santa Ana and Irvine as well Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes have publicly stated they would follow California’s sanctuary law.
State law forbids local law enforcement from honoring ICE detainer requests, unless that person has been convicted of certain felonies.
[Read: How is Orange County Going to Handle Trump’s Immigration Crackdown?]
Still, a group of local high school students – backed by a host of local activists – have been showing up to council meetings in recent months, demanding elected officials do more to protect undocumented immigrants in Orange County’s largest city.
On Tuesday, Anaheim City Council members voted unanimously to reaffirm a resolution originally adopted after Trump took office the first time in 2017 that declares Anaheim a city that welcomes everyone regardless of their citizenship status.
“This resolution reaffirms something that is core to who we are – we are a welcoming city,” said City Councilman Carlos Leon, who brought the resolution to his colleagues.
“We also have to recognize that many in our community are feeling fear. They’re feeling uncertainty right now. They’re worried about how they’re seen, how safe they are in reaching out for help.”
Tanya Navarro, a community organizer with Chispa, said Anaheim’s resolution lacks clear directives and pointed to Santa Ana’s sanctuary city ordinance which includes specific training for police officers and city staff.
“Anaheim’s policy does not provide the meaningful protections that are needed to safeguard our community and our immigrant residents,” she said.
“Words like welcoming are not enough without enforceable protections. If Anaheim wants to truly be a welcoming city, we must go beyond symbolic language and pass policy with real teeth,” Navarro added.
The newly adopted resolution states officials will encourage comprehensive immigration reform to keep families together, continue ensuring city services are accessible to all residents regardless of immigration status.
A part of the resolution states the city will comply with all federal and state laws “including well-established California law that safeguards immigrants.”
Councilman Ryan Balius unsuccessfully tried to remove the quoted portion of the resolution.
He also questioned what the resolution would change.
Police Chief Rick Armendariz, Fire Chief Pat Russell and city spokesman Mike Lyster responded it would not change city operations.
“I was hoping to get at least just that little piece of language removed,” Balius said, adding it does nothing to address residents’ fears. “We’ve heard from the city departments here, nothing changes and that concerns me a little bit.”
Leon said words matter.
“When there are talks of mass deportation in our community, that elicits real fear, that strikes fear in our communities. It makes people feel uncertain, it makes people feel unsafe, and no, we can’t solve it from this dais,” he said.
“But we can take a step forward to inform and ensure that our community is informed that we here as a city, we welcome them, that our police officers, that are firefighters, that all of our staff, that they are here to help,” Leon said.
Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava suggested Balius bring back a proposal, calling Leon’s resolution the first step.
“If you have additional things that you would like to bring to council at a later date, perhaps that’s something that you consider doing that would help enhance the current rules that we have to help with the fear in the city,” she said.
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said officials should ease community fears – even if the resolution doesn’t change city operations.
“Some of the people that are here are either immigrants or children of immigrants, and feel this issue extremely deeply,” she said.
“I think it’s imperative that every family knows that they are safe in Anaheim,” Aitken continued. “I think it’s imperative as a council that we stand against any intrusion into safe spaces.”
Councilwoman Norma Campos Kurtz said the city’s actions need to follow the words of the resolution.
Both Armendariz and Russell said whenever a resident calls for emergency assistance or to make a report, officials do not ask for immigration status.
Armendariz added that they will respond to crime and enforce the law regardless of immigration status.
“Our priority is public safety and equal service to all those that live, work and play,” he said. “For law enforcement, we focus on behavior. We don’t focus on race, economic status, social income, education. We focus solely on an individual’s behavior, and if an individual’s behavior rises to the level of criminal misconduct – that’s when we respond.”
A Welcoming City
Tuesday’s meeting comes after local students demanded local officials make it clear that immigrants won’t have to worry about Anaheim police officers enforcing federal immigration law – or collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents.
The students also wanted city staff to regularly update Anaheim’s “Welcoming City” webpage with current information on immigrant rights and resources, hold educational workshops and for the resolution to explicitly bar any cooperation with ICE.
An online petition with their demands has garnered nearly 300 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.
Lyster said the city’s welcoming city webpage has been updated with resources and city staff are working with community leaders and school district officials to spread awareness of the city’s policy.
“Families in our city are living in fear, fear of deportation, fear of uncertainty, fear of being ripped away from their loved ones. This issue, evidently, isn’t only affecting adults. It deeply impacts our youth. It affects students’ mental health and their overall sense of safety and belonging,” one high school student said at Tuesday’s meeting
“By reaffirming Anaheim as a welcoming city, you are sending a powerful message that every resident, regardless of their background matters,” they added.
Councilwoman Kristen Maahs said city staff should put the welcoming city section on Anaheim’s homepage.
Cassandra Perez, district director for Congressman Lou Correa, read a support letter from the congressman.
“For the thousands of immigrants and refugees who call Anaheim home, this designation sends a clear and reassuring message that their contributions are recognized, their presence is valued, and their families are part of the social and economic fabric that makes this city stronger,” Perez said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Roughly 35% of Anaheim residents – about 119,000 people – are foreign born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While there’s no available estimates for Anaheim, there are an estimated 236,000 undocumented immigrants living in Orange County, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Orange County Responds to the Immigration Crackdown
Amid protests in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown, many local officials across Orange County have publicly said they will not enforce federal immigration laws.
At the county level, Supervisors narrowly voted last month to beef up protections for children whose parents could get caught up in the deportation sweeps.
[Read: Orange County Confronts Federal Immigration Crackdown]
In Santa Ana – OC’s only sanctuary city – officials have publicly assured residents they won’t cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Earlier this year, Santa Ana Councilwoman Jessie Lopez called on her colleagues to reinstate an advisory board made up of immigration rights organizations to help bolster protections for immigrants. Her request has not returned to the council.
[Read: Will Santa Ana Relaunch an Advisory Group to Strengthen Immigration Protections?]
Santa Ana officials have also maintained a legal defense fund since 2017 to help immigrant families facing deportation and launched a Know Your Rights section on the city’s website with general information on immigration rights.
Huntington Beach City Council members took a different approach – vowing to work with ICE and sue the State of California over the statewide sanctuary law.
Editor’s note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s board of directors.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
