RICHMOND — Federal immigration officials could soon be banned from staging on Richmond property, a policy adopted in other parts of the Bay Area, but city leaders are weighing other measures to help protect vulnerable residents, including a potential text alert system.
The proposal, backed by a 6-1 vote of the City Council during a meeting Tuesday, comes at a time when national immigration enforcement by the Trump administration has created fear in local communities, officials and community members said during the meeting.
“I do believe that we are living in a time we have not seen before, that what is happening in our country is extreme,” said Vice Mayor Doria Robinson, who co-wrote the proposal with Councilmember Claudia Jimenez. “I’m not prepared to say that people will be kind, rational or sane, or abide by the law, because they have not thus far and it just gets worse every day.”
Escalating, and at times fatal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in other parts of the country have become a warning sign for Richmond officials who said they worry scenes like those in Minneapolis, Minnesota, could be repeated locally.
Similar ICE-free zone ordinances have been adopted across the Bay Area, from Pinole to San Jose, taking inspiration from Chicago, the first in the nation to institute the ban last October.
Richmond’s proposal goes a step further.
Staff have been directed to develop clear protocols for alerting the public of ICE activity or a national guard presence within city limits. The plan could include investing in a text alert system, multilingual materials, working with local media and working with faith-based groups, schools and businesses.
Because the city has limited hospital space, the proposal asks staff to look into how ready city sites like libraries or community centers would be to act as shelters or clinics during emergencies, including protests or natural disasters. City coordination with other groups such as health care providers, unions and volunteers would also be necessary to establish emergency medical capacity, according to the proposal.
Councilmember Jamelia Brown abstained from Tuesday’s vote after raising concerns about the broad scope of what was proposed. Brown said she supported the concept of ICE-free zones, but said the item contained a number of issues that should be considered independently and thoughtfully.
Of particular concern was the possibility that the council would set unrealistic expectations for how the city could protect the public from federal agents.
“I am concerned that labeling city property as ICE-Free Zones can unintentionally create fear, confusion and false expectations if residents believe ICE cannot enter into these spaces where they legally can,” Brown said. “I want to understand more on what we can legally do versus selling something to the community that’s not even true.”
Like many Bay Area jurisdictions and the state, Richmond is already a sanctuary city, Brown noted, meaning it prohibits the use of city resources to assist federal agents in immigration enforcement unless presented with a judicial warrant.
When the Trump administration took office a year ago, Richmond allocated $1 million toward funding legal services, know-your-rights campaigns and other initiatives meant to support immigrants who may be targeted by the administration’s crackdown, Brown pointed out. Millions of dollars have also been allocated by local governments toward similar initiatives over the past year.
With those layers of protections in place, Brown questions the urgency of moving forward without fully vetting the proposal.
Jimenez argued the proposal was not as broad as was being characterized. While the ordinance would strengthen existing city protections by clearly applying restrictions around city property, the rest of the direction was meant to prepare the city in case of what she described as “militias” of federal agents coming to Richmond, she said.
“This is another step toward making sure we are doing what we need to do to protect our community, and particularly our immigrant community that is under threat at this moment,” Jimenez said.
Most public speakers who attended Tuesday’s meeting encouraged the council to move forward with ICE-Free Zones, speaking of fears they, their families or communities are living under.
The council directed staff to return on March 3 with a presentation on existing city efforts to address federal civil immigration enforcement, including raids. An ICE-Free Zone policy is slated to come before the council within 45 days.
Councilmember Cesar Zepeda requested that whatever ordinance is drafted includes language prohibiting immigration officials from wearing masks and requiring them to identify themselves. He also asked that the city establish a regional response plan, following a measure put forward by Alameda County.
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