Watsonville becomes first city in Santa Cruz County to restrict feds from using its facilities for immigration enforcement activities

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City officials in Watsonville are banning immigration officials from using city-owned facilities for enforcement activities as federal actions continue to escalate around the United States. 

Watsonville follows in the footsteps of cities around the country, including San Jose, Santa Clara and Chicago, and is the first city in Santa Cruz County to pass such a resolution. 

Mayor Kristal Salcido told community members at Tuesday evening’s city council meeting that the resolution is modeled after San Jose’s policy barring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from using its property and vacant lots to stage operations. Salcido added that Watsonville’s resolution expanded on San Jose’s language to include a ban from all city-owned buildings. 

“I’m extremely proud that we are the first, to my knowledge, in the County of Santa Cruz, of all government organizations to bring forward this type of item,” she said. “I think it speaks to the values of our community.” 

Councilmember Maria Orozco said Watsonville’s immigrant community is essential to the city. When residents fear going to the park or library or are scared to engage with the local government, the entire community is affected, she said. 

The resolution will prohibit federal immigration officials from using city parks, parking lots and garages, airport hangars and buildings for enforcement purposes. According to a staff report, these spaces are not intended to be used for immigration enforcement purposes, which are “solely the purview of the federal government.” The resolution is also not intended to interfere with investigating suspected violations of criminal law.

City-owned facilities cannot be used as staging areas — temporary locations used by ICE to organize and deploy personnel, vehicles and equipment for enforcement operations — or as processing locations. 

Watsonville’s resolution does not intend to interfere or restrict the execution of judicial warrants or court orders from federal judges, according to the staff report. Under state law, federal immigration agents are required to have a judicial warrant before entering any area of a city-owned building that is not typically open to the public. 

Cities such as San Jose and Santa Clara that have adopted similar policies have instructed city workers to post signs on city properties and build gates where needed. Additionally, city staff at those sites will be required to report to their supervisors if they become aware of any ICE activity. Watsonville city spokesperson Michelle Pulido told Lookout via email the city will not be posting signage on every city facility, adding that the policy is focused on how its property is managed and how the policy is communicated to staff and partner agencies.

She also added that it’s customary for outside agencies to coordinate with the city if they intend to use its property; under this resolution, however, that would not be permitted with immigration agencies.

“We talked to our police about the safety of our residents,” said Councilmember Ari Parker. “We don’t help [ICE]. When they come into our town, they don’t even tell us.” 

Parker said she’s in “absolute favor” of denying immigration agents access to the city’s properties. “I hope that surrounding counties and cities also follow through with that,” she said. 

Councilmember Vanessa Quiroz-Carter reminded law enforcement of Watsonville’s sanctuary city status, and asked them to stand by their promises not to work with ICE. Watsonville Police Department leaders have previously told Lookout that its officers do not cooperate with immigration officials, following state law. 

In the first year of the Trump administration, federal immigration agents visited Santa Cruz County at least 30 times, with at least 15 visits to Watsonville. Last month, community members were on high alert after grassroots organization Your Allied Rapid Response confirmed that ICE agents arrested a resident in the Rodriguez Street neighborhood. 

City officials have taken other actions to demonstrate their support for Watsonville’s immigrant community, including reaffirming the city’s sanctuary status just a week before Trump returned to the White House and joining lawsuits against the federal administration over threats to withhold resources from sanctuary cities.

MariaElena De La Garza, CEO of Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, told elected officials Tuesday that the resolution is an important step, and builds on Watsonville’s longstanding efforts to include its immigrant community and invest in organizations that provide “Know Your Rights” training so residents can interact with city staff without fear. 

“By adopting this resolution, Watsonville is reaffirming its values of dignity, safety and respect for all of us who call the city home,” De La Garza said. 

Longtime Watsonville resident Chris Davis echoed De La Garza’s comment, adding that the resolution asserts that the city controls how its resources are used and officials won’t allow community trust and public safety to be undermined. 

Also on Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to condemn the “escalating violence and harmful community impacts” caused by recent federal immigration enforcement operations. The board’s vote reaffirms the county’s commitment to protecting the safety and civil rights of all residents, according to a media release. 

While the county has yet to bring forward a resolution similar to Watsonville’s, staff have been instructed to advise their supervisors immediately if ICE agents come to county-owned buildings asking questions. Immigration officials are also not allowed to enter non-public areas of county buildings without a signed judicial warrant, according to the county’s sanctuary policy.

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