Riverside commission briefed on immigration-enforcement notifications, new Know-Your-Rights web resources

Commissioners were briefed that a resolution the Human Relations Commission recommended earlier this year went to City Council and passed on Oct. 14. As a result, the City Manager’s Office and Police Department have been coordinating to provide weekly notifications of immigration enforcement activity inside Riverside city limits.

On the data reported to the commission, staff said that in October there were six notifications from federal law enforcement agencies and in November three notifications; as of the latest update, the city’s 311 form had not received community reports. Staff cautioned the numbers reflect voluntarily reported incidents or those captured by police notifications and may not represent all federal activity in adjacent jurisdictions.

A public education campaign has launched alongside the notifications: staff created a Know-Your-Rights web page at riversideca.gov/knowyourrights, distributed wallet-sized cards, produced social-media graphics and assembled one-page toolkits for employers and individuals. Commissioners applauded the outreach and discussed partnering with the Chamber of Commerce for employer workshops.

Commissioners asked whether federal enforcement actions always notify the city in advance; staff said that on some occasions agencies did not notify local police and the police chief will be asked to speak at a future meeting to clarify detection and notification processes.

Commissioners asked staff to keep the HRC updated with the weekly reports and to consider bringing police staff to a future meeting to answer questions about notifications and whether all enforcement activity is captured in the current reporting process.