Quick Take
At Tuesday's city council meeting, Watsonville Police Chief Jorge Zamora unveiled measures his department is putting in place to inform and protect the immigrant community as President-elect Donald Trump is set to begin his second term.
The Watsonville City Council voted unanimously to reaffirm the city’s commitment to support and protect its immigrant community Tuesday, just a week before President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term.
“The city’s immigrant community is integral to the social and economic fabric of our region,” said Watsonville Police Chief Jorge Zamora. “This resolution builds upon a leadership including prior sanctuary resolution, and recent public reaffirmation of support for immigrants in November.”
Zamora told Lookout he brought forward the resolution to the city council at Tuesday’s meeting to help maintain trust between Watsonville immigrant community and city officials. He doesn’t want residents to be afraid to call law enforcement because they fear officers are going to deport them, he said.
He added that there is a lot of misinformation about local law enforcement agencies and their relationship with federal immigration agents that makes it difficult to help people. Immigration status is not the police department’s top concern, Zamora said.
Watsonville police officers are also carrying cards that explain to residents in both English and Spanish that they are not working with federal immigration agents. Officers are likely to hand out these cards when they stop a resident for a traffic violation and find that the person is afraid to provide any information to police.
Zamora encourages residents to fact-check everything they hear or read online, especially as more immigration raids happen around the state. Some of the misinformation being spread includes that law enforcement will share a resident’s personal information with federal immigration officials, which is not true, he said.
Under the California Values Act, local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from working with federal immigration agents. The only exception to the law is if there is a court order instructing them to do so, Zamora said.
Watsonville police did not receive any sort of court order instructing them to aid immigration authorities during the first Trump presidency, Zamora said, and he’s hoping it won’t get to that point under a new Trump administration.
“The last time we went through this I don’t remember us ever receiving anything like that from a federal or even a local court,” he said. “That’s the only time we would be doing that and hopefully it won’t happen.”
It’s also rare for immigration authorities to notify local agencies when they’re conducting operations in any jurisdiction. When federal agents have notified the police department, there are no details as to where and how long they’ll be operating in the city, Zamora said. If there are safety issues or if a shooting occurs during an operation, the department might also be notified.
During his presentation to the city council, Zamora also added that the police department will be working with local nonprofit Community Action Board to help strengthen relationships with the city’s immigrant community by inviting officers to “Know Your Rights” workshops.
“Watsonville has always been a place of compassion and inclusion, where individuals regardless of their immigration status can feel safe, supported and valued,” said Mayor Maria Orozco. “This resolution reinforces our dedication to protecting and uplifting our immigrant communities.”
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