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Residents and immigrant‑rights groups urge Sunnyvale commission to back detained resident Ulises Pena Lopez
Summary
Dozens of public commenters asked the Human Relations Commission to issue a statement of support for longtime Sunnyvale resident Ulises (Ulises/ Ulysses) Pena Lopez, who family and advocates say was violently arrested by ICE on Feb. 21 and detained at California City; speakers urged Rep. Ro Khanna to visit and press for medical attention.
During the public‑comment portion of the Sept. 11 Human Relations Commission meeting, more than a dozen residents and immigrant‑rights advocates urged the commission to make a public statement supporting Ulises Pena Lopez, a longtime Sunnyvale resident who speakers say was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Feb. 21 and is currently detained in California City. Commenters asked the commission to add the matter to the City Council agenda and requested that Rep. Ro Khanna visit the detained constituent.
Speakers included family members, community organizers and attorneys. Abby Pena, who identified herself as Ulises’s wife, said, “We have a 3 year old daughter together who has not seen her father for the past 6 and a half months.” She described the arrest and said Ulises was hospitalized at El Camino Hospital after the arrest and that his health has worsened in detention.
Other speakers who expressed support included Tammy Qualls, Kathy W., Samantha (a resident of Alameda County), Uriel Magdaleno of CSO San Jose, Bridal Boettner (who said she works with organizations in Santa Clara County), Alex Mensing of the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Edwin Carmona Cruz (co‑executive director of the same collaborative), attorney Geraldo Medina, and others. Alex Mensing and Edwin Carmona Cruz reported calls from people inside California City detention who described delayed or missing medical care; Mensing said people with heart conditions had been waiting for medication and that some detainees are routinely awakened overnight and then returned to cells without their medication.
Multiple speakers asked the commission to issue a statement of support and to press elected officials — specifically Rep. Ro Khanna — to visit Ulises and advocate for his medical care. Several speakers described the February arrest as violent; some called for the commission to add the matter to the city council agenda for formal action or a city statement.
Commissioners did not appear to take a formal vote or issue a statement at the Sept. 11 meeting on Ulises Pena Lopez’s case. The public record at the meeting consisted of oral testimony and requests to the commission and to Congressmember Ro Khanna.
