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Residents urge Big Bear Lake to respond after local ICE detentions; family describes father taken from home
Summary
Multiple residents urged the City Council to take a public stance after recent ICE enforcement in Big Bear Lake; speakers said immigrant neighbors are fearful and one woman said her father, Armando Gonzalez, was detained while his wife is dying of cancer. Council asked staff to place a discussion on the next meeting agenda.
A string of public commenters on April 8 urged Big Bear Lake elected officials to respond to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in town, saying immigrant families are fearful and the local economy could be harmed if visitors perceive the community as unsafe.
Several speakers recounted the same concern: that ICE operatives used local surveillance systems and DMV data to locate residents and that city cooperation may have facilitated detentions. "I do not feel safe here in Big Bear knowing ICE is getting my information through systems that you've implemented, participated in, or allowed into our community," one commenter said during public communications.
Adriana Gonzalez, who said she has lived in Big Bear Lake her whole life, told the council her father, Armando Gonzalez, "was detained by ICE here in Vick" on March 31. "My father is a hardworking man who has been part of this community for more than 20 years," she said. "He is an innocent man. Today, my sisters and I are heartbroken in every way possible." Her family asked for help and for the city to act to protect families.
Other commenters, including Dr. Don Wilson, urged compassion and leadership that "lowers the temperature" of the debate while critic Dan Gil Branson defended ICE enforcement. Public commenters also asked the council to clarify whether city resources or property were used as staging areas for enforcement actions.
Councilmembers discussed scheduling a council agenda item to consider the city's role and responsibilities and to hear from affected residents. One councilmember explicitly asked staff to place a discussion on the next meeting agenda to consider how the city can ensure Big Bear Lake remains "a safe and welcoming community for everyone who lives here and visits here." The council did not adopt a policy at the meeting but directed staff to bring the matter back for formal discussion.
Next steps: staff will place a community‑safety/immigration discussion on a forthcoming agenda so council can hear testimony, weigh options and consider any non‑binding resolutions or policy directions.
