Students, community members urge 2-mile protected zones; Santa Maria officials say city lacks authority, may back state bills

Dozens of students and community members urged the Santa Maria City Council on Feb. 18 to establish a two-mile zone around schools, parks, hospitals and places of worship to protect residents from federal immigration enforcement.

The request came during the public-comment period, when speakers described fear among immigrant families and asked the council to act to prevent detentions near sensitive sites. Jesus Herrera Romero, who said he marched more than two hours to the meeting, told the council: "Our nation is built on immigration, not deportation." Several student speakers asked the council to adopt the protection immediately and repeated the two-mile figure.

Mayor Alice Patino and city staff told the audience that while the city aims to make residents feel safe when interacting with city employees, it does not have the legal authority to prohibit federal agents from performing their duties within city limits. "The Santa Maria Police Department does not enforce federal immigration laws, or take part in immigration enforcement operations," Mayor Patino said, adding the city adheres to state laws limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

City Attorney Watson said federal supremacy limits what cities can do to bar federal agents and pointed to state limitations that constrain local participation in immigration enforcement. Watson told the council and public that requests to bar federal agents at schools and similar sites are ‘‘outside the city's scope and outside of our powers’’ and that such changes would require state or federal action.

After the public comments, Council member Sotto raised pending state legislation addressing access to schools and other sensitive sites and asked whether the council could send support letters. Sotto referenced Senate Bill 48 and SB 56 and asked for council concurrence to have the mayor execute a letter of support. "If sending a support letter from the city of Santa Maria in support of these two pieces of legislation ... that would send a really loud message to our community," Sotto said.

No formal ordinance or local exclusion zone was adopted at the meeting. City officials advised residents to press state and federal representatives for changes to state or federal law. The council did not put a motion on the floor during the Feb. 18 session to enact a local prohibition on federal immigration enforcement; members discussed the option of drafting and sending letters supporting state legislation.

Next steps: staff and council members suggested consideration of support letters for pending state bills; residents were advised to contact state and federal elected officials about legislative remedies.

Ending

The matter remains a community demand rather than a city policy change: speakers pressed for local safeguards, while legal staff and elected officials explained the legal limits of municipal authority and identified state legislation as the likely route for change.