Costa Mesa approves $200,000 immigration legal-defense fund, signs on to Perdomo amicus brief

The Costa Mesa City Council on Sept. 9 approved creation of a legal defense fund to help residents facing immigration detention and ordered staff to contract with nonprofit providers to deliver services.

Council approved an amended motion to start the fund at $200,000, with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center identified as the primary provider and the Public Law Center identified as a secondary partner if additional capacity is required. The council also agreed to participate in an amicus brief in Perdomo v. Nome, the federal case challenging "roving" immigration enforcement patrols.

City Attorney Hall Barlow presented options and legal limits the city must consider. "We looked at what the legal restrictions are. Obviously, federal funds or grants that are for specific purposes or restricted funds cannot be used for this purpose," Barlow told the council. She said the most cost‑effective approach is to partner with existing providers rather than build a new city program, and that several nonprofit legal organizations had indicated willingness to contract with the city.

Barlow summarized the litigation context. The district court in Perdomo issued a temporary restraining order finding that detaining people solely on the basis of race, ethnicity, language or place of work was insufficient to establish reasonable suspicion. The Ninth Circuit upheld the TRO on Aug. 1, but the U.S. Supreme…