Madera council asks staff to draft ‘welcoming city’ resolution amid immigration enforcement fears

MADERA, Calif. — The Madera City Council on Wednesday directed city staff to draft a resolution affirming the city as a welcoming, refuge-oriented community while avoiding the specific label “sanctuary city,” after a lengthy public discussion and staff briefing about federal immigration enforcement and local limits on cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

City Manager Rodriguez presented the informational report, saying the item was agendized at the council’s request and noting the situation is “very politically charged” and rapidly changing. Rodriguez said state law (Senate Bill 54) and a city resolution passed in January 2018 already limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. “We do not report people to ICE. We do not collaborate with ICE. So if ICE has their information, I can assure them it's not coming from the from our police department,” Rodriguez said.

The presentation framed community fear as the immediate issue: Rodriguez told the council she had seen reporting that absenteeism in some schools spiked to roughly 30% following recent federal actions and said residents had phoned city offices expressing worry. Staff also listed potential fiscal consequences if the federal executive branch were to withhold funding from…