Anaheim leaders on Tuesday, April 8, declared their town a “Welcoming City,” hoping to quell fears in the immigrant community and reassure residents and visitors that they can feel safe when reaching out to police officers and firefighters when they need help.
The resolution, passed unanimously by the City Council, comes in light of Trump administration officials promising to conduct mass deportations and ramp up federal immigration enforcement across the country.
“I think it’s important to highlight, especially during these times, that symbolism, words — they matter,” said Councilmember Carlos Leon, who brought forward the idea. “When there’s these talks about mass deportations in our community, that elicits real fear. That strikes fear in our communities. It makes people feel uncertain. It makes people feel unsafe.”
Last month during a rally organized by young people in Anaheim, Leon signed a petition in support of the immigrant community, he said, which also asked the city to strengthen its “Welcoming City” policy. The petition said students worry about their parents being taken away from them and they feel unsafe engaging with city services. Leon, at the council meeting, acknowledged the city’s youth for speaking out on the issue.
The City Council last declared Anaheim a “Welcoming City” in 2017, the first year of President Donald Trump’s previous term.
The new resolution states that Anaheim’s police and fire departments have no role in the enforcement of federal immigration policies and have a responsibility to protect all residents and visitors regardless of citizenship status.
The resolution declares that Anaheim is a “welcoming city” for people to feel safe in and it supports immigration reform and the creation of a legal pathway to citizenship that keeps families together.
“We are here to serve the community regardless of whether they live here, are visiting, regardless of their immigration status, we are here to serve them all,” Police Chief Rick Armendariz said. “It’s imperative that we build that trust, maintain that trust and have an open line of communication.
“It’s disturbing when we have residents that may not call the police when they need it or fire when they need it because they may feel fear of what may happen,” he added.
Armendariz said the Police Department does not enforce standalone immigration warrants. He said APD follows the California Values Act, or SB 54, which places limits on cooperation between police and federal immigration law enforcement.
City spokesman Mike Lyster said Anaheim has not had any verified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, but the federal agency is able to work specific cases and serve warrants without informing the city.
Assistant City Manager Greg Garcia said the only time the city asks people about their immigration status is for certain federal housing programs that need citizenship information to qualify.
City officials since 2017 have hosted a “Welcoming Anaheim” page that notes the city’s history of being founded by immigrants in the 1800s and the 35% of its current population of residents who were born outside the U.S.
Councilmember Ryan Balius said he struggled somewhat with the resolution, saying Anaheim was already a “Welcoming City,” and questioned what would be done differently if the resolution didn’t pass.
“I’m not entirely certain that this curbs the fear,” he said.
Armendariz, Fire Chief Pat Russell and Lyster said city officials would continue the same practices even without the resolution.
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said one of the biggest barriers the council faces is communication, and the resolution is important for the council to show it stands against “any intrusion into safe spaces whether it be schools, churches, hospitals, libraries.”
“I think it’s imperative that every family knows that they are safe in Anaheim,” she said, “and that they are welcomed and appreciated and loved in the city of Anaheim.”
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