Residents urge action on ICE; council directs staff to study potbellied-pig rules and OKs Vietnamese "freedom" sign

Several residents used the Jan. 13 public-comment period to call on Garden Grove officials to take local steps related to immigration enforcement and to protect residents from ICE operations.

Skye Cervantes told the council she had returned after earlier testimony and warned that "ICE is a dangerous organization" and that recent actions have been "increasingly violent," concluding her remarks by asking the council to "please keep ICE out of Garden Grove." Crystal Cervantes echoed those concerns and cited a list of people who have died in ICE-related operations; she also offered several statistics about alleged increases in reported ICE assaults and vehicular attacks in 2025.

Council members thanked speakers and noted concerns about public safety and rhetoric. No formal council ordinance or policy specific to ICE enforcement was adopted at the meeting; the record shows council members encouraged engagement, de-escalation of rhetoric, and referral to appropriate legal channels and law enforcement reporting when there are threats.

In the "matters" portion of the agenda, councilmembers discussed and approved two separate actions: a proposal to add Vietnamese and Spanish wording with the term for "freedom" on an identified street sign in District 4 (motion approved by roll call) and a motion to direct staff to study the municipal code definition of livestock/animals to consider allowing certain alternative pets including Vietnamese potbellied pigs (motion approved 7-0). Councilmembers said staff should return with research and options rather than immediate ordinance changes.

Next steps: staff will research the animal-code change and return options to council; the sign project will be explored administratively and may require further agenda items for implementation.