Residents urge Thousand Oaks leaders to speak against ICE tactics; city points to immigrant resources and reports no city role in an ICE facility
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Summary
Multiple public commenters asked the council to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and called for visible protections for immigrants; city staff said 'know your rights' materials exist and that reports of an ICE facility in Newbury Park appear to concern a private business that may service federal clients.
At the start of public comment on Oct. 21, multiple Thousand Oaks residents told the City Council they are alarmed by recent immigration-enforcement activity they described as aggressive ICE operations in the region and urged city leadership to publicly oppose the tactics and take local protective steps.
Public commenters described eyewitness accounts and local impacts. Joseph Dubinsky Jr., who identified himself as a Camarillo resident, said three neighbors were taken that morning and accused law enforcement of cooperating improperly with ICE; Rosanna Guerra, a 32-year Thousand Oaks resident, described a pattern of raids in the county and asked the council and mayor to “reject the complacency and speak with one voice against the tactics” used by ICE. Sally Hibbits, a long-time local resident and volunteer, thanked the council for its donation to the Ventura County Community Foundation but said many residents still live in daily fear and asked for “know your rights” materials and multilingual signage in city facilities.
Volunteer organizers and advocates raised site-specific concerns. Shannon Anderson, a volunteer with 805 UndocuFund, said the city-designated day-labor site is “particularly vulnerable” to raids and asked the city to explore protections that are within its authority; Anderson also reported that at least three people were taken in a recent sweep and said an ICE vehicle drove through her neighborhood that morning. Laura Tribble and Milo Wagner, among others, urged solidarity with immigrant communities.
City response and resources City Manager Drew Powers replied that the city already posts a state resource and small “red cards” with immigration-rights information and that staff would look to add the smaller cards at some counters. Mr. Powers said the city had received only anecdotal reports that a private technology business in Newbury Park might service federal agencies, including ICE, but that “this would obviously be a private real estate transaction, not involving the city of Thousand Oaks.”
What residents requested Speakers asked for the council to publicly oppose ICE operations in Thousand Oaks and Ventura County, to provide multilingual know-your-rights materials in city-owned facilities, and to explore steps (within the limits of city authority) to make day-labor sites safer for workers.
Council and staff reaction The mayor and council acknowledged the comments, and city staff indicated they would increase signage of state resource materials and consider adding printed cards at public counters. Staff also pointed to the city’s immigrant resources page (t0.gov/immigrant-resources) and said they would follow up on site-safety questions about the designated day-labor location.
No formal council action was taken at the meeting on enforcement policy or contracts; the public comments were recorded and staff committed to follow-up on information and posting materials.
