Oxnard residents press council for action after regional ICE raids; city leaders say police not collaborating

Dozens of residents, community organizers and immigration-rights groups used the Oxnard City Council public comment period on June 17 to demand an immediate, tangible response after a wave of ICE enforcement actions in the region. Speakers described what they called “daytime kidnappings” at workplaces and at immigration appointments and asked the city to take steps beyond symbolic statements to protect immigrant residents.

The council heard repeated testimony from VC Defensa, 805 Immigrant, undocuFund volunteers and other local advocates who said volunteer rapid-response teams had been working around the clock to provide “know your rights” information, legal support and transportation for families affected by detentions. “ICE is terrorizing Oxnard,” one caller said, citing a recent case involving a man identified in public comment as Juan Ramirez.

City Manager Alex Nguyen and Police Chief Jason Benitez both told the council in and after public comment that Oxnard has no contract with ICE and that state law separating local policing from federal…