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Council discusses resolution to prepare for potential federal civil immigration enforcement operations
Summary
Council held a first-reading discussion of a draft resolution directing staff to prepare policies, outreach, staff protocols, and a moratorium option related to possible federal civil immigration enforcement activity; members asked for edits, targeted community input and clarity on IT/data policies and protections for parks and voting locations.
Council members and staff discussed a draft first-reading resolution on April 7 that directs staff to prepare for possible federal civil immigration enforcement activities in the city and to return with specific policy options.
The draft (R5729) directs several workstreams: public education for businesses and nonprofits; staff and departmental protocols for interactions with federal civil immigration agents; consideration of a time-limited moratorium on permits for new or expanded detention facilities while a zoning review occurs; and evaluation of whether civil enforcement activities can be restricted on city-owned buildings, parks, and other fixed properties.
Council requested several changes and clarifications: add nonprofits to the outreach list; review and, if needed, update the city's security and data-sharing policies with council visibility before relying on them; include parks and voting-drop-box sites explicitly in the evaluation of locations where enforcement activities might be limited; and plan targeted community feedback rather than a broad, time-consuming engagement to avoid delaying staff work.
Council members also asked for clear, transparent operational protocols that front-line staff and officers can follow quickly in the field; staff responded that police, the city attorney and city manager’s office will develop such guidance and make it available. The item was a policy discussion; council did not adopt the resolution April 7 but directed staff to incorporate council edits and to gather targeted stakeholder feedback before returning with an action-ready draft.
