Ventura supervisors hear pleas after large ICE actions; Lopez proposes seed fund, public‑defender expansion and migrant education support

Supervisor Vianney Lopez on Tuesday asked the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to create a county legal‑defense fund, expand immigration defense capacity in the Public Defender's Office and fund migrant‑education services as community groups described continuing trauma and economic disruption after large federal enforcement actions this summer.

Lopez said the county could not remain passive. "Today, doing nothing is not an option," she told the board while introducing a package that includes a $250,000 seed allocation for a county immigration legal defense fund, authorization to add seven fixed‑term public‑defender positions (estimated annual cost about $1,294,612), and a proposed memorandum of understanding with the Ventura County Office of Education to support migrant education (up to $1.9 million over three years). She also proposed county policy work and training for staff and offered to reallocate her recent salary increase toward the fund.

The board did not vote on Lopez's full package. Instead members voted unanimously to continue the item for further discussion and public comment at the board's next meeting on August 26 at 9 a.m.

Why it matters

Speakers from immigrant‑serving nonprofits, public education and county agencies described real‑time harms to families and county systems and urged immediate county support. Community groups said the enforcement actions had created fear that drove people away from medical and school appointments, reduced workforce participation and left thousands needing legal help to avoid deportation. "We have already distributed over $200,000 to over 200 families," Primmitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805 UndocuFund, told the board, citing the nonprofit's emergency disbursements since June.

Local and regional data also underscored the scale of the problem. Syracuse University's TRAC center figures cited during the hearing show that, nationally, ICE and Border…