Frustrated Garden Grove residents have been calling out city officials, some directly, for several months over what they see as a repeated failure to take concrete action and address people’s concerns around immigration, especially as new waves of enforcement raids hit Southern California.
Considered the fifth-largest city in Orange County, roughly 46.8% of Garden Grove’s 171,000 or so residents emigrated from another country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 36% of the city’s residents are non-citizens.
Yet, some residents and advocates argue the city has taken little-to-no action to seriously address immigration issues.
“I’m here tonight to apply pressure and to hold the council accountable,” Clara Delgado, a 29-year-old Garden Grove resident, told councilmembers at Tuesday’s meeting. “Not just for what you say, but for what you fail to do.
“This council looks pathetic when you pretend your hands are tied. Stop acting powerless,” she added. “Smaller cities with fewer resources have done more than what you have. They’ve passed resolutions, created legal aid funds. They’ve told their immigrant residents, ‘You are safe here.’ If they can do it, Garden Grove can, too. Les falta valor, you lack courage.
“I don’t usually stand here throwing insults, but tonight I’m angry,” Delgado said. “I’m disappointed. You’re going to hear it.”
Over the summer, neighboring cities Anaheim, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa either joined or filed in support of a class-action lawsuit challenging the immigration raids in Southern California. They also created legal funds and resource programs for impacted community members.
In late August, Councilmember Ariana Arestegui lobbied her colleagues to reaffirm the city’s 2017 immigration-related resolution on community harmony and safety, which also reiterated that the city’s Police Department does not participate or assist in immigration enforcement.
Just days before, masked federal immigration officials had detained a father outside his child’s elementary school. Arestegui said the symbolic gesture would help address concerns, clarify misinformation and foster trust between the city and community of Garden Grove.
Councilmember Yesenia Muneton agreed at the time, adding, “We can no longer sit here and ignore the reality facing our families.”
But Councilmember George Brietigam argued making the public statement could make the city a bigger target for enforcement.
Nothing came of the hour-long debate, and the resolution was tabled. When asked about the resolution on a call Tuesday, Muneton said, “It’s important to represent our city as a whole. I myself can resonate with immigrants, and I take this to heart.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, the topic of immigration continued to be brought up by public speakers.
“For the past several months, especially as the raids have increased in scope and severity, Garden Grove residents have been coming to these chambers asking for more support and leadership. Instead, they’ve been met by passivity and intransigence when it came to uplifting the concerns of our immigrant community,” Tim Phan, a civic engagement manager with the immigrant justice nonprofit VietRise, told councilmembers Tuesday.
“Mayor Pro Tem Joe DoVinh’s comments, both here and outside the chambers, are especially concerning,” Phan added.
DoVinh, who was absent from the meeting, was mentioned by a few speakers that night. He’s been the subject of recent criticism from some residents and immigrant justice groups over translated remarks that seemed to praise ICE and encourage the city’s police to cooperate with enforcement operations.
Community members said his absence was notable after his comments on Vietstar Media, a Vietnamese-language talk show, were translated and shared on social media earlier this month.
When reached Wednesday, DoVinh said he was traveling.
In a translated July 4 interview with Vietstar Media, DoVinh reportedly told the host, “Right in my city, yesterday, ICE came to take action and I directed our police to cooperate, cooperate. I also have texts that I instructed the City Council general manager and our police chief to cooperate, then ICE came to a car wash on Chapman Street, which is my district, the Fourth District, and I have full authority to handle it.”
“If my police are insolent, I will fire the police chief. I will say it clearly, publicly on this show,” he reportedly said, according to translations provided by a staff member of the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice. “If the police chief forces non-cooperation and turns Garden Grove into a sanctuary city, I will fire the police chief. I have the right.”
Reached this week, spokesperson Sgt. Nick Jensen reiterated a statement from June that the Police Department does not work with federal immigration agents and continues to prioritize safety and protection for all community members, regardless of their immigration status. Garden Grove Police Chief Amir El-Farra declined to comment on DoVinh’s comments.
“Garden Grove residents deserve compassionate elected officials who defend their rights – not callous politicians who want to rule over their cities like tyrannical kings,” the Harbor Institute, Islamic Society of Orange County, VietRise, CAIR-LA and Orange County Justice Fund said in a joint statement Sept. 18, in which they condemned DoVinh’s comments, calling them “irresponsible and reprehensible.”
DoVinh said he previously stated on the dais that “this ICE storm will blow over.” He said the allegations made against him were based on “misinterpretations and misunderstandings by ‘crazivists,’” a term he coined for crazy activists, which he said did not deserve a reply at this time.
“They’re nonsensical distractions,” he said in an emailed statement Wednesday.
“I agree that the fear is raw and real, but that we don’t have to give into fear or fearmongering. Who’s creating a culture of fear in the community? I’ve called for calm and deliberation,” he said. “My approach is different from other council members. Do we all have to think the same and act the same? No. Do we all need to address ICE issues lawfully and peacefully? Yes.”
The mayor and other councilmembers could either not be reached or declined to directly comment on DoVinh’s immigration-related remarks.
City spokesperson Johnathan Garcia shared a statement on behalf of the city: “We know this is an issue that people care deeply about, and we appreciate the concern behind the many perspectives being shared. Our approach is shaped by the responsibilities we hold as a local government and the role we play in serving the entire community. We value continued public engagement and welcome constructive dialogue that supports our shared commitment to safety, compassion and community harmony.”
Councilmember Arestegui addressed the ongoing concern shared by community members in closing comments at Tuesday’s council meeting.
She said the issue has impacted both herself and her family. “To say that I haven’t been concerned would be an understatement,” she said, adding, “I join my community members in solidarity with those concerns.”
The council wasn’t scheduled to speak on any immigration-related items on Tuesday.