Monterey County re-adopts ‘Welcoming County’ resolution and funds outreach after federal enforcement concerns

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution reestablishing the county as a welcoming county and agreed to fund public education and outreach, including paid public service announcements and distribution of "know your rights" materials.

The board adopted the measure at the request of Supervisor Luis Alejo, who said the updated resolution clarifies local practice to align with state law and responds to recent reports of immigration enforcement activity that have created fear among immigrant residents. "This resolution is essentially the resolution our board adopted back in 2017, but we tightened up the language to align with what is already state law," Alejo said during the meeting.

The nut of the action is that county departments will not use local resources to enforce federal immigration law except as required by state or federal law or a court order, and the county will invest in community education. Alejo told the board that the county has already printed and distributed more than 20,000 bilingual "know your rights" cards and produced informational videos in six languages (Spanish, English and four indigenous languages spoken locally). He…