Redwood City council will continue discussion about expanding immigrant protections

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Redwood City’s City Council voted to continue discussing and researching if it should adopt an ordinance that will restrict city resources from being used to help immigration authorities like ICE. The discussions came after incoming President Donald Trump said he'd implement new immigration policies when he takes office. 

"There’s a lot of fear in the community. Neighbors are concerned that they’ll be apprehended by ICE when the new administration takes office," said Chris Sturken, Redwood City Council member for District 2. 

Redwood City Council member Chris Sturken asked the city council to discuss adopting an ordinance that would restrict city resources that help immigration authorities. Sturken says the new ordinance would expand non-compliance with immigration authorities to all depts. of city government. The council listened to about 50 public comments from the community.

"This ordinance will affirm that Redwood City values all its residents regardless of immigration status and aligns with the work I do every day to empower our community," said Tito Alvarez, of Redwood City Youth Empowerment. 

"Some of my friends have shared with me how scared they are because their families are undocumented. They worry every day about what could happen if their parents might be taken away or if their lives could be torn apart," said 18-year-old Lisbeth, of Redwood City. 

Faith in Action, a coalition of congregations that advocate for the community, held a press conference spoken in English and Spanish before the council meeting to show support for the proposed ordinance and to promote a hotline for those who may need help.
 
"We want to say we’re coming together in support of our neighbors. We want our communities to be stable and cohesive and not be torn apart," said Clara Jaeckel, Faith in Action. 

After public comment, Council member Kaia Eakin said she opposed moving forward with the discussion and asked the council to consider state and county laws that are already established before creating a new city ordinance.

"The state legislators in California passed a law because we’ve been here before. I want to say some of what it is: No police in the state of California can ask anyone about their immigration status," said Kaia Eakin, Redwood City Council member for District 5. 

The Mayor also said that the council should be mindful of how it moves forward because of the threat of losing federal funding, but ultimately, the council voted 4-3 to continue discussing and researching the ordinance in early 2025.