Santa Ana councilmembers voted to drop work on a proposed policy that would have required the city’s Police Department to publicly post alerts about federal immigration enforcement activity.
Discussing the letter during a closed session on Tuesday, June 17, the council voted 5-2, with councilmembers Benjamin Vazquez and Johnathan Hernandez opposed, to kill the proposal now. Councilmembers had asked city staff previously for more information about how the policy would work and what could be the implications.
“After reviewing the legal analysis and potential criminal liability and consequences to staff and elected officials, the council voted to discontinue further work on the councilmember-generated policy proposal,” City Attorney Sonia Carvalho reported out of the closed session.
The proposal, brought forward in May by Hernandez and Vazquez, would have required ICE courtesy alerts sent to the Police Department to be made public within 48 hours of receiving them. Some on the council, including Mayor Valerie Amezcua, had raised concerns about potential legal and financial risks.
City staff had been directed to return with more information before a final vote, but Tuesday’s action effectively shelved the plan, and it’s unclear whether the proposed policy could be revived in the future.