BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
A split Redwood City Council voted to look into becoming a “sanctuary city” where the city’s police department doesn’t participate in immigration sweeps.
The police department already doesn’t cooperate with ICE, and there have been no requests by federal agencies in recent memory for other city departments to help with immigration compliance, Councilwoman Kaia Eakin said during Monday’s meeting.
Eakin, along with council members Diane Howard and Jeff Gee, voted against the idea, saying that since the city already doesn’t cooperate with ICE, the council ought to look at other ways to help the “very scared community” of illegal immigrants in town.
Councilman Chris Sturken proposed the sanctuary city idea, saying that he wants to protect Redwood City families from deportations and separation due to the campaign promises of President-elect Trump, who said he will deport illegal immigrants starting with those who have criminal records.
Sturken also said that leaders with the group Faith in Action have told him about landlords threatening to call ICE on tenants when the tenants make complaints.
Sturken was joined by council members Elmer Martinez Saballos, Alicia Aguirre and Lissette Espinoza-Garnica in asking City Attorney Veronica Ramirez and City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz to look into formalizing the police department’s policy.
Councilman Martinez Saballos said he thinks now is a unique time to see where the state’s and county’s sanctuary policies fall short and how a city law could beef up protections for residents.
About 50 people spoke or wrote in to council in favor of Sturken’s idea. “Here in Redwood City, we are talking about our nannies, gardeners, housekeepers, restaurant workers and even (employees at) coffee shops. These aren’t faceless people. These are people who we all interact with. These are people who pay taxes. These are mixed-status families where circumstances gave some family members the American Dream while other members of the same family fear … living in the shadows,” wrote Planning Commissioner Maggie Cornejo to the council.
Mixed-status means families where some members are American citizens and others are illegal immigrants.
Ramirez and Stevenson Diaz will come back to the council early next year with a formal policy.
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