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Baldwin Park resident urges city to clarify police response to ICE operations; council asks chief to prepare guidance
Summary
A resident asked Baldwin Park officials what the city and police department will do after reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations; council members asked the police chief to prepare public guidance and for staff to publish materials.
Raven Urias, a second‑year law student and Baldwin Park resident, told the City Council during public comment on June 18 that she and others have seen videos of immigration officers arriving “seemingly clandestinely wearing masks on unidentified cars,” and asked what the city and police department plan to do to protect residents.
The request drew immediate attention from council members. Mayor Alejandra Avila said staff could not answer detailed policy questions at the meeting but offered to collect Urias’s contact information and provide a follow‑up. Council members and staff said they would ask the police chief to prepare written guidance the city can distribute to residents.
Why it matters: residents described widespread fear about enforcement actions and said some people are avoiding stores and work. Council members framed the need for clear information as a community‑safety and trust issue and asked staff to explain what the local police can and cannot do when federal immigration agents appear.
During the discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Damien and Council Member Lozano urged the chief to prepare a public statement or press release clarifying whether local officers will respond to calls about people who appear not to be identified as law enforcement, and what steps residents should take to preserve evidence (for example, to make sure incidents are recorded on body cameras and whether officers will help confirm warrants). The city clerk and other staff also said the city had already posted some information online and would email more detailed materials to council and the public.
Council direction and next steps: the council asked the police chief to prepare information the city can distribute explaining: - how residents should report suspected immigration enforcement actions; and - what limits and legal protections apply to local police when federal agents appear without identification.
Staff said the chief will prepare the information for publication and that contact details the speaker left would be used for a follow‑up. The mayor’s office also said it would share any city‑issued guidance at community events (including an upcoming street fair) and by email.
The remarks came during the public‑comment portion of the June 18 meeting; no formal ordinance or council vote was taken on policy changes.
The council later confirmed the public comments and said the items raised would be routed to the chief for a formal response to be posted online and distributed to council members.
