A proposed resolution in Cypress to reaffirm civil rights and condemn “excessive force” by federal immigration agents sputtered out this week after failing to gain traction among city council members.
The proposal from Cypress City Councilwoman Rachel Strong Carnahan came days after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota, kicking off a wave of public backlash.
Saturday’s shooting death of Pretti is also expected to spur throughout Orange County, organized by activist groups under the banner of 50501OC – with a demonstration slated in Orange this evening, followed by a host of expected protests continuing through the weekend.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Carnahan said her proposal – originally pitched earlier this month – was “becoming more and more important by the minute.”
“I’m bringing forward this resolution to clearly articulate our city’s position in regards to Constitutional rights and public safety,” she said. “I’m in no way saying we should be harboring criminals or violent people in our city.”
Carnahan also said the proposal could help residents understand that local police officers aren’t conducting immigration enforcement and that city officials will defend civil rights if ICE agents show up.
“This is not a statement about intent or legality, but a clear declaration,” she said. “It’s about ensuring residents understand who’s operating in their city.”
Councilwoman Bonnie Peat criticized the proposal and raised concerns over condemning excessive force.
“I think the issue I have is we don’t know the circumstances,” Peat said. “We do not know the person that they’re targeting and going after, we do not know if they did or didn’t have a gun – that is not for us to know.”
She also said federal immigration agents are being attacked.
“I feel quite sorry for them actually. They’ve been given a task and are getting beat up every day,” Peat said. “I don’t want to say what’s excessive force or not, that’s not my decision. I leave that up to law enforcement, I leave that up to ICE agents … there’s always two sides to the story”
Cypress City Councilman Kyle Chang, who backed Carnahan’s move to schedule the proposed resolution for debate, said the current approach to immigration enforcement hasn’t been seen before.
“What is happening in this country is beyond precedence,” Chang said. “It’s only a matter of time before what’s happening in Minnesota will happen right here.”
Yet Chang ultimately didn’t back Carnahan’s proposal.
Councilman David Burke said he thinks it’s best to stay out of national debates.
“My view has been to not bring forward and abstain from any kind of resolutions on state bills or federal law enforcement type issues in the past,” Burke said, adding that such a resolution is basically a statement from the city council as a whole.
“I generally think it’s best to let each council member speak for themselves,” he said.
Cypress Police Chief Mark Lauderback said officers don’t consider immigration status.
“It does not matter what their status is here in the United States. We are here to protect everyone’s rights here, regardless.”
After hearing concerns from his colleagues on Carnahan’s proposed resolution, Chang proposed creating an online immigrant resource hub – like Garden Grove – but failed to gain any traction.
Other cities – Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana – have created immigrant aid funds to help residents impacted by deportation sweeps.
Those funds help with rent, groceries, legal assistance and a host of other issues people are grappling with – many of whom are too scared to go to work or out shopping.
“Our city continues to see ongoing, periodic enforcement, most typically targeted, with occasional heavy days of roving enforcement,” reads Anaheim’s Tuesday update.
“We condemn how some federal immigration enforcement has played out in our city and do not support any excessive enforcement activity that destabilizes families, neighborhoods and our economy,” reads Anaheim’s website.
A recently released study from UC Irvine estimates that the immigration raids have severely impacted Orange County businesses.
In a news release, lead researcher T. William Lester said the recent economic hit hasn’t been seen since the pandemic.
“From our preliminary results, Orange County lost $58.9 million over just an eight-week period following the May 2025 ICE raids. That translates to $4.5 million less in sales tax revenue for our local governments. When you combine that with the uncertainty created by tariff policies, many businesses are facing an economic crisis they say is worse than what they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.