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Santa Clara enacts policy blocking ICE from accessing city-owned properties ahead of Super Bowl LX

Grace Hase, The Mercury News on

Published in News & Features

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Following pressure from advocates and residents over concerns that the Bay Area would be targeted for immigration raids during Super Bowl week, Santa Clara has enacted a last-minute policy ahead of the game to prevent federal agents from using city-owned property for immigration enforcement activities.

The influx of law enforcement — including federal agents — into the region for the NFL’s biggest event of the year, along with threats by a Trump administration official last October about potential immigration-related operations around the game has cast a shadow over Super Bowl LX for many local residents.

“There’s people that I’ve talked to who are afraid to be in the district,” said Vice Mayor Albert Gonzalez, who represents the area around Levi’s Stadium.

On Tuesday evening, the Santa Clara City Council issued a statement supporting the city’s immigrant community and approved “ICE-free zones” that mirror those adopted across the Bay Area from San Jose to Alameda County.

Under the policy, federal agents would be prohibited from using city-owned properties including parking lots, garages and other open spaces as staging grounds for civil immigration enforcement. The city intends to post signage and install physical barriers around these areas. The signage will be available to businesses and other landowners who want to prevent immigration operations on their private property.

The policy, however, would not apply to any city-owned property that is subject to an existing lease or contract. City officials plan to meet with the operators to discuss the possible implementation of the policy at those locations.

With the Super Bowl just days away, city officials hope to revisit the policy ahead of the six FIFA World Cup matches it will host at Levi’s Stadium in June and July.

“I know what we do tonight may not be perfect, but we can have a little more time later especially after we find out what happens after Super Bowl,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor said at the meeting.

 

But for some, the adoption of the policy came too late.

“When we say that we didn’t have a lot of time to put this together I feel like we did have a lot of time,” Councilmember Kevin Park said. “How much time did we have since we finalized Super Bowl agreements and started working on security and safety plans?”

Despite statements by NFL and Santa Clara officials this week that the Department of Homeland Security — which plays a security role at every Super Bowl — would not conduct immigration enforcement in the region, residents at Tuesday night’s meeting were hardly appeased.

Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said at a news conference Tuesday that there are “no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl.” She declined to answer whether they would be notified about any potential ICE activity should the situation change.

Santa Clara Police Chief Corey Morgan made similar remarks in a video posted online last week, stating that “as a matter of practice, we do not confirm, deny, or speculate about the presence or activities of other agencies.”

Sameena Usman, the government relations manager for the nonprofit Secure Justice, told the council that “just because something has not been planned from before does not mean they can just change their minds and plan something now. The fact that we don’t have a policy in place, and if we do not pass this tonight it shows that the city has not taken a strong stance.”

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