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Coalition of residents urges San Bernardino council to denounce ICE raids, address air quality and warehouse impacts
Summary
A coalition of neighborhood groups and community organizations used the council's public-comment period to call on San Bernardino officials to denounce recent ICE raids, prioritize air-quality improvements and invest in job centers and community benefits rather than expanding warehouse development.
Dozens of residents and community organizers addressed the San Bernardino City Council during the July 2 public-comment period to demand action on multiple issues they say are harming neighborhoods: immigration enforcement raids by ICE, worsening air pollution tied to logistics and warehouse activity, and a lack of local jobs and community investment.
A number of speakers identified themselves as members of the "San Bernardino Airport Communities," a coalition of residents and organizations representing neighborhoods near the airport and logistics corridors.
"The impact that this violence has been having in the people that are supposed to be representing, it's awful," one community speaker said during the council meeting, summarizing a recurring theme of testimony calling for the council to publicly denounce the raids and take protective steps.
What residents asked the council to do
Speakers urged the council to: - Publicly denounce ICE raids and adopt local protections for residents affected by immigration enforcement. - Reallocate city resources toward job centers, workforce development and community benefits rather than prioritizing warehouse expansion. - Address air quality and truck-route impacts tied to regional logistics operations, including requests for alternate truck routes, more green space and mitigation of pollution-related health harms. - Improve transparency and community engagement around city spending and development approvals.
Representative testimony and concerns
- Several speakers said community members have been "kidnapped" by immigration enforcement and demanded the council respond; one witness told the council the experience has caused children and neighbors to fear going outside. - Warehouse workers' advocates urged investments in higher-quality, stable jobs, said pollution near warehousing raises health risks and criticized the city's permitting of logistics facilities without stronger community benefits. - Multiple residents described safety and quality-of-life impacts tied to a recently opened halfway house near a residential block; speakers asked for code enforcement follow-up and clearer inspections for use and permitted modifications.
Council response and next steps
Council members acknowledged the testimony and individual councilmembers said they would follow up with staff. One speaker at the meeting, Sandra Ibarra, said she had communicated with police and the city manager and expressed support for sanctuary protections; the council did not adopt any new policy during the meeting.
Ending
Speakers concluded by asking the council to use its convening power to address air-quality mitigation, workforce development and protections for immigrant residents; many said they would continue organizing and expect to see follow-up from city staff.
