San Fernando council begins process to draft citywide policy limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement

Vice Mayor Mary Solorio on Tuesday introduced a proposal asking the city to develop a policy that would limit the use of local resources to assist federal immigration enforcement and clarify how departments handle immigration inquiries. “I brought this item forward so that we as a council can collectively express our ideas, and come up with a policy,” Solorio said during the meeting.

The motion followed more than two hours of public comment in favor of declaring San Fernando a sanctuary or “protective” city policy. Speakers included teachers, labor organizers, school board members and elected representatives who urged the council to adopt protections to keep immigrant families from being targeted. “Sanctuary policies have a powerful track record of keeping families together and making us all safer,” said Shu Ming, deputy director, California Immigrant Policy Center, during a staff presentation.

The request drew recurring themes from the public: fear that local cooperation with ICE would discourage crime reporting, pressure on schools and health services, and requests for the city to stop asking for or sharing immigration status data. Several speakers described recent reports and national actions that have increased community fear. “Let us be Hawaii. Let's be on the right side of history,” teacher Nicole Moore told the council.

City staff and the council discussed the legal and budgetary limits of local authority. Staff noted the city already follows provisions of the California Values Act (SB 54) and that the San Fernando Police Department has written policies limiting immigration enforcement activities. Police Chief stated the department will not transfer individuals to immigration authorities without a signed warrant and does not contract with ICE to house detainees.

Council members asked for more detail before adopting a final ordinance. Staff was asked to compare San Fernando’s current police and municipal practices with model documents from Los Angeles and Burbank, provide a checklist of where the city's policies align with SB 54, and report the city’s federal funding exposure if the city were to adopt a broader policy. City attorney and staff agreed to return with those comparisons and a legal summary.

Rather than vote on an ordinance Tuesday, the council directed staff to return with a comparative analysis and recommended language. The council also asked staff to include whether particular provisions should be adopted as an ordinance (binding) or a resolution/policy (administrative). The item will return for further consideration in a future meeting.

Ending: Council members cited strong community turnout and said they wanted to balance the community’s public-safety concerns, the police department’s operational needs, and legal/fiscal risks before formal adoption. The council gave staff a clear list of follow-up items and asked for the matter to return with draft language and legal analysis for the council to act on at a later date.