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Whittier unveils immigrant-support measures: fee waiver, nonprofit grants and legal requests
Summary
The City Manager reported steps implementing Resolution No. 2025-38 aimed at supporting residents amid federal immigration enforcement: the city is waiving its $35 passport processing fee for 90 days, allocating $130,000 to two nonprofits and sending letters seeking detainee updates and stronger impersonation penalties.
Whittier City Manager Conal McNamara told the City Council on Sept. 9 that staff has begun implementing directives from Resolution No. 2025‑38, adopted Aug. 12 to respond to federal immigration enforcement activity.
McNamara said the Whittier Police Department will continue to operate consistent with SB 54 and “does not participate in immigration enforcement.” He outlined a package of local measures the city is immediately rolling out: waiving the City’s $35 passport application processing fee for Whittier residents and employees for 90 days (this subsidy does not cover U.S. Department of State fees); appropriating $130,000 to two local community organizations — HOME Ownership Trust (HOT) and Interfaith Food Center (IFC) — with $65,000 each; and assigning HOT to administer an additional $50,000 in legal‑aid funding through the Bondad program.
McNamara said the city has distributed bilingual “Know Your Rights” materials at municipal facilities and on social media, is coordinating business outreach with the Chamber of Commerce and Whittier Uptown Association, and has asked state and federal lawmakers to pursue legal changes. Staff sent a letter to Assembly Member Lisa Calderon urging that impersonation of immigration officers be made a felony, and a separate request to Congresswoman Linda Sánchez seeking regular detainee updates from ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
City staff also noted preliminary business outreach findings that some local businesses have reported lighter foot traffic and a general slowdown, but that staff had not confirmed direct workforce impacts tied to ICE activity.
McNamara said the council directed staff to provide monthly progress updates on these measures.
Ending: The city framed the actions as short‑term, locally controlled steps to assist residents while urging broader congressional reform; staff will report back to the council monthly.
