At a Santa Maria City Council meeting Tuesday, Councilmember Gloria Soto opened her comment with disappointment.
“ I was extremely underwhelmed by what I read,” Soto said in response to a new resolution expressing support for the city’s immigrant community.
Soto said it didn’t reflect “ the fear and the instability that ICE has caused in our community.”
“ It doesn't state anywhere on this resolution that we as a council are prohibiting any type of city resources, staffing, or facilities from being used for ICE enforcement,” she said.
The resolution says that immigrant communities play a central role in the city’s economy and culture.
However, the bulk of the resolution's text is used to clarify that the Santa Maria Police Department doesn’t enforce federal immigration law and doesn’t ask about anyone’s immigration status.
Soto suggested that more language be added to the resolution, including some banning city resources from being used by ICE.
Mayor Alice Patino responded by saying she didn’t want Santa Maria to be a sanctuary city, mentioning killings committed by five members of the gang MS-13 from 2013 to 2016.
“ Those men, the MS-13 [members] that murdered all these people, they should not have been here,” Patino said. “ This takes really action from our leaders at the federal level.”
When Soto asked Patino if the council agrees with recent ICE tactics, Patino said she didn’t know what tactics she was referring to. Soto then clarified she meant alleged instances of excessive force and detaining people without due process.
“There's a lot of people who share the sentiment that we don't agree with the way ICE is carrying out their protections,” Councilmember Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez responded.
Aguilera said as the daughter of immigrants, she spent her childhood picking strawberries. She said immigrants have made the U.S. a rich country, what she called “a melting pot.”
“My intent was to have a resolution where we made it clear that the City of Santa Maria stands with the immigrants,” Aguilera said. “It is not about creating division or creating more hate, and it's not us versus them.”
During a public comment period, several people asked the council to do more to respond to a surge in federal immigration enforcement.
Patricia Solario, the Associate Director of the Fund for Santa Barbara, said the council should create an ad hoc committee on immigration “ so the council can engage in deeper and more intentional discussions about what the city of Santa Maria can do.”
The resolution, titled “Expressing Support for Immigrant Residents of Santa Maria,” passed without any additions prohibiting ICE from using city resources. Only Soto voted against the motion.
