Anaheim city officials are rolling out a mutual aid program for families impacted by federal immigration sweeps as ICE raids continue throughout Southern California.
This week, in an effort to quickly mobilize support for the community, Anaheim launched its new website, Anaheim Contigo, intended to provide up-to-date, accurate information on individuals’ rights along with guidance on available services and resources.
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said the Anaheim Contigo program is still in its early stages and that they hope to incorporate feedback from residents to make the platform something to better the community.
“If you could just listen to what we’re doing, and then, of course, we want your feedback on how we can make it better, how we can make it more relevant, and how we can all partner together to get the information out there,” Aitken said at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
City Manager Jim Vanderpool said the initiative “will provide resources to Anaheim families, workers and businesses impacted by current events.”
Vanderpool said, alongside updated information, the Anaheim Community Foundation will provide emergency grant funding to help impacted families with groceries, utility bills and other household needs for those families directly impacted by ICE raids.
A Tale of Two Cities
Anaheim’s response stands in contrast to Santa Ana, where officials have been facing harsh criticism for the city’s response to the ICE raids and protests.
So far, Santa Ana hasn’t developed a mutual aid program like Anaheim’s doing – although some council members have been aiding community efforts to get aid to people.
Immigrant advocacy organizations like the OC Rapid Response Network are helping Santa Ana families impacted by the federal immigration sweeps.
And Anaheim’s response to protests against the immigration sweeps has been so far largely hands off, and more focused on traffic control.
For instance, hundreds of people marched through the streets by Angel Stadium last Thursday in a spontaneous protest against ICE.
And on Saturday, thousands of people gathered in La Palma Park for a protest.
Anaheim officials say while there’s been some minor disturbances, police officers haven’t had to use force or arrest anyone at the protests.
But nearby Santa Ana has seen its police officers fire rubber bullets at demonstrators, along with a string of arrests for people allegedly hurling objects and shooting fireworks at police officers. City officials note 24 arrests from June 9 to 14.
The response prompted increasing frustration and questions from numerous Santa Ana residents and community leaders – including some council members.
[Read: Santa Ana’s Response to ICE Protests Prompt Questions for Police & Mayor]
Police officers also handcuffed a woman inside the Santa Ana City Council meeting chambers on Tuesday night while she was pointing out open seats that could be used. It’s unclear what exactly happened since city officials haven’t responded to questions.
Meanwhile, in Anaheim, residents continue to speak out against the intimidation tactics of ICE and the unlawful practices that continue to disrupt families, businesses and the economy.
Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava, who attended the large Saturday protest in La Palma Park, said she was proud of the community for taking a stand against what she put simply, “racial profiling in the community”.
“I am very proud of the way that Anaheim has handled it,” she said at the June 17 meeting. “We are really just focused on making sure that our residents are safe.”
[Read: Orange County Hits the Streets, Rails Against ICE Sweeps]
Residents Push for an ICE Notification Program
At Tuesday’s meeting, some Anaheim residents urged city council members to establish a community alert system about ICE activity, but city officials have said that could put the city in a challenging position with the federal government.
Resident Ana Baez said that one man had his nose broken by ICE agents and said what is occurring in the community is not only unlawful but inhumane.
“Many people in this country and here in Anaheim, undocumented, legal residents and citizens alike, are living in fear of unexpected enforcement actions,” she said at the meeting.
Baez asked the council to create a partnership or look into a policy that will alert residents to the presence of ICE in the city.
“People are being stopped and detained just for the way they look,” Baez said.
Anaheim resident and longtime activist for homeless people, Kenneth Batiste, asked the council why they have not implemented an emergency alert system, such as the ones in place for weather disasters.
“We got a fire alert, we got a flood alert, we got the coyote alert, we got all those others, why can’t we have an alert to protect us from ICE?” Batiste said during public comment at the meeting.
Anaheim city spokesman Mike Lyster said the website is intended to provide specific information regarding what federal immigration enforcement looks like and what residents should do.
“We are not looking to provide this incident or that incident,” Lyster said in a phone interview on June 18.
Lyster said raids and ICE investigations have now become a part of daily life, so it is essential that residents are up-to-date on their rights and resources available, but that it can be dangerous and difficult to provide alerts on specific ICE activity.
“We do not need to add misinformation,” he said.
He also pointed to the legal threat that U.S. Attorney Bill Essalyi gave officials in nearby Santa Ana for their proposed notification policy – which they abandoned at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
[Read: Orange County Braces For ICE]
Resident Israel Ramirez said there needed to be more action.
“I’ve heard the statements from city officials, from the mayor, from our governor, our senators, but I’ve seen little to no real action,” he said at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Ramirez said city officials needed to keep the community informed about ICE investigations and not feed any information to the ICE officers.
“What’s missing from all of you is accountability, protection and true transparency,” he said. “I don’t know why these raids are happening, where these ICE agents are getting their information.”
Councilwoman Rubalcava said the city does not get notified when ICE is going to be in their districts, and that the city does not have control over federal immigration officers.
“I also want to emphasize that these are not our Anaheim Police Department,” she said. “These are federal agents who are coming into our city that we have no control over.”
Rubalcava said the Anaheim community will continue to work together and shared that the city worked with the school district to provide support for a resident whose husband and father-in-law were both recently deported.
“We were able to provide them with resources so that they could stay current on their rent, and their kids could obtain any resources that they might need,” she said.
Rubalcava said the new website would continue to be a resource for families to turn to.
“I know that you have now put together a collaborative, and I’m just grateful for all of the work that you’re doing in this area.”
Editor’s note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s board of directors.