Council Approves Statement Decrying Immigration and Customs Enforcement Actions in Pasadena

[UPDATED] After comments from nearly two dozen community members, the City Council on Monday unanimously voted to support a June 12 statement decrying federal immigration enforcement action in Pasadena. 

“We are a community under siege,” said Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “Everybody has seen the cruel mistreatment of people by men in masks with weapons of war.” 

Alvarado said the community is full of anger, fear and indignation.

“Obviously we like the statement, but we like action better,” Alvarado said. 

Alvarado called on the City to create an immigrant fund, provide legal representation for those caught up in the raids and use all law enforcement and public safety resources to protect people. 

“We need to do all we possibly can. We have to show our residents we do want to take action. If it happens to one of our residents it happens to all of us,” said Councilmember Tyron Hampton. 

Hampton called on the City to establish the defense fund. The Jackie Robinson Center and Villa Parke offer services and information designed to help immigrants obtain citizenship. 

The fund will be discussed at the Finance Committee and the other items will be discussed at the Legislative Policy Committee. 

The fund would help families and individuals impacted by the raids. 

Councilmember Jason Lyon said that there is no playbook on the events that are happening. 

“I was also proud to stand today with Senator Pérez in support of the No Vigilantes Act because it was a surprise to me to learn that law enforcement apparently has no legal obligation to tell you what agency they’re with or who they are. And that is an outrage. And it never became a law before because it’s never been an issue. 

“We’ve never had federal law enforcement who refuse to acknowledge who they are. So we need one thing from the people in terms of protecting people with law enforcement. We are not getting reports of the action when they’re happening. And this is a hard thing, I get it because it means trusting law enforcement, but we need calls to come in when there are masked vigilantes with guns on the streets. 

“You need to call 911 immediately, and if a family member is taken, you need to make a kidnapping report. We have not had any kidnapping reports in the city, and we need that because we don’t start an investigation until we have a report of a kidnapping. 

“So once someone’s taken out of the city, if you know they end up in federal custody, then it’s out of our jurisdiction and it’s a different process, then we’re into due process or the lack thereof in the courts. But until we know that it can still be in our jurisdiction, but we need a report,” Lyon said. 

City officials have been taking action where they can. 

Mayor Gordo was able to help a woman get medicine to her husband who was detained last week when he went to the Metropolitan Detention Center last week. 

The woman, who was not from Pasadena, was attempting to get to her husband, who suffers from diabetes, who had been detained. 

Gordo came to Pasadena when he was five and lived in a garage with his family before obtaining citizenship. 

“I don’t know if I would have the fortitude to do that, go to a country where you don’t speak the language and leave everything behind. I appreciate the contributions of immigrants of every station and every walk of life,” said Gordo. “I’m stunned by the dangerous situation of people in unmarked vehicles taunting local residents.”

“I am very offended by the thrashing of due process and the rule of law.” 

The immigration action has left employees afraid to go to work and some businesses closed. 

“An entire swath of our community whether you are Brown or not, if someone decides you look like an immigrant, even if you are not, you are stigmatized.” 

The vote comes almost 10 days after the statement was released. 

On June 12, the majority of the City Council signed off on a statement opposing raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have resulted in at least nine people being detained and leaving many in the community in fear. One agent pulled a weapon on a man who photographed his license plate. 

In the joint statement, members of the City Council said they will not allow Pasadena to be under siege by the Federal administration. 

Originally, Councilmember Gene Masuda did not sign the statement but said he opposed the raids that have impacted the City and called for peaceful demonstrations. 

Masuda voted in favor of the statement on Monday. 

Some residents called on the City to demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers wear some type of identifying badges. 

“The least we can do is to ask them to wear identification,” said Kelsey Wakefield.

Local leaders across the region are all but powerless to stop the raids which began in early June as part of President Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions of people living in the country illegally. 

In the statement, the City Council said that Pasadena would not be a City under siege. 

“Our community is stronger than fear, stronger than intimidation, and stronger than any attempt to divide us,” the statement reads. “We will not be baited by fear-based tactics. We will respond with unity, dignity, and unwavering resolve.” 

More than 4,000 people demonstrated in Pasadena streets earlier this month against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions on June 14. 

But just several days later, on June 18 masked agents detained several day laborers at a bus stop near Los Robles Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard, aiming rifles at bystanders and declining to show warrants, witness video shows. 

Representative Judy Chu was later denied entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center, where some detainees were reportedly held. 

Last weekend, at least five people were detained near Villa Parke. 

There is legislation that could force more transparency on federal officials. 

Senate Bill 627, the “No Secret Police Act,” which would require immigration agents to display badges and identify themselves.

Pending legislation would bring more transparency to immigration raids. 

Senate Bill 627 would make it illegal for law enforcement officers to conceal their faces with masks or disguises while interacting with the public. Exceptions would be made for Special Weapons and Tactics teams, medical-grade masks (like N95s or surgical masks, when required by departmental health policy), and masks used during wildfire emergencies and other natural disasters. 

The bill also requires officers to be identifiable, either by name or other identifier on their uniform. The bill currently is wending its way through the state Assembly. 

“These are not normal times. Our community is being terrorized by a fascist regime,” said Reverend Bert Newton. “The whole world is watching us to see what we will do. We need to push back. We are the community that can do it.”