Celia Jiménez here, thinking about our neighboring county to the north, Santa Clara. Normally we do not cover news outside of Monterey County, but local officials have been reacting to news that San Jose Spotlight broke last week about a federal detention facility proposed near Gilroy.
Today, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to formally oppose the proposed ICE detention center. They will send a letter of opposition to the state and federal governments and join litigation on this matter alongside the County of Santa Clara and the California Department of Justice. Many other leaders have announced opposition to the project including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas.
Additionally, the supervisors directed staff to review County of Monterey zoning and land use policies to prevent any similar ICE detention center projects being built in our county.
County Supervisors Luis Alejo and Chris Lopez, co-chairs of the immigrants’ rights ad hoc committee, requested this topic come to the board for discussion as soon as possible. “We wanted our County of Monterey to take a clear and unequivocal position in opposition to the proposed ICE immigration detention center in Gilroy,” Alejo said in his remarks on Tuesday, May 19.
For about 30 minutes, community members rose to tell the Board of Supervisors about their concerns, and urged the board to oppose the detention center. "The proposed detention centers in Gilroy and Dublin should alarm every single one of us," said Chris Barrera, president of a LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) chapter in Salinas.
The news of a new ICE detention center nearby is a bucket of ice-cold water for local residents and politicians. It comes just a few weeks before the Board of Supervisors is set to discuss the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). This federal program provides reimbursement assistance and allows the Sheriff’s Office to share data regarding incarcerated individuals with federal agencies, including ICE.
Monterey County has a large population of immigrants, many of whom work in the fields, and the news of this center has caused waves in the county and across the region. While it is beyond county lines, the potential impact is regional and affects everyone, not just immigrants—immigrants contribute significantly to our daily economy, and when they are targeted, we will all eventually feel the ripple effect on our pocketbooks.
And our region is connected. I was near the proposed location—a 25-acre parcel at 7240 Holsclaw Road—just a few days ago, on the outskirts of Gilroy. The area is an active commercial hub with small and large stores including Walmart and Costco, restaurants, and more.
Whether opposition from local leaders makes a difference in the direction the federal government will go remains to be seen.
(1) comment
We are facing a problem that would not have existed if the Biden administration hadn't allowed millions of undocumented individuals into the USA. The tone of Monterey County says we want to protect our agricultural workers. If our workers are legal, what's the problem? Most, if not all, of the ag workers are of Mexican roots. There are a lot of people who came in through Mexico that are not Mexican. Many were sent from other countries because they were criminals and it was a way to get rid of them. What's wrong with finding, detaining and deporting these people? Of course they are mixed in with legitimate immigrants so others may be affected at times, but if they are legal they have nothing to worry about and should be glad and proud to show their documents because they did it right.
It is becoming very discouraging that our local officials do not want to cooperate with ICE. Apparently they have no respect for the privileges of citizenship in this country.
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