Santa Clara ends policy barring ICE from accessing city-owned buildings ahead of Super Bowl LX – Mercury News
Following pressure from advocates and residents over concerns that the Bay Area would be targeted for immigration raids during Super Bowl week, Santa Clara enacted a last-minute policy before the game to prevent federal agents from using city-owned property to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
The influx of law enforcement – including federal agents – to the site of the NFL’s biggest event of the year, and the threats made by the Trump administration last October regarding immigration-related activities related to the game at the game cast a shadow over Super Bowl LX for many local residents.
“There are people I’ve talked to who are afraid to be in the village,” said Deputy Mayor Albert Gonzalez, who represents the area around Levi’s Stadium.
On Tuesday evening, the Santa Clara City Council issued a statement in support of the city’s immigrant community and approved “ICE-free zones” similar to those adopted across the Bay Area from San Jose to Alameda County.
Under the policy, federal agents would be prohibited from using city-owned buildings including parking lots, garages and other open spaces as staging grounds for immigration enforcement. The city intends to post signs and install visual barriers around these areas. The signs will be available to businesses and other landowners who want to prevent immigration activities on their private property.
The policy, however, will not apply to any suburban property under an existing lease or contract. City officials plan to meet with administrators to discuss the possibility of implementing the policy in those areas.
With the Super Bowl just days away, city officials hope to revisit the goal ahead of the six FIFA World Cup games it will host at Levi’s Stadium in June and July.
“I know what we’re doing tonight may not be perfect, but we may have more time later especially after we find out what happens after the Super Bowl,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor said at the meeting.
But for some, the adoption of the policy came too late.
“If we say we didn’t have a lot of time to put this together, I think we had a lot of time,” said Council Member Kevin Park. “How long has it been since we finalized the Super Bowl deals and started working on safety and security plans?”
Despite statements from the NFL and Santa Clara officials this week that the Department of Homeland Security — which plays a security role throughout the Super Bowl — will not enforce immigration law in the county, residents at Tuesday night’s meeting were unapologetic.
Cathy Lanier, the NFL’s chief security officer, said at a press conference Tuesday that “there are no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations planned for the Super Bowl.” He declined to say whether they would be notified of any potential ICE activity if the situation changes.
Santa Clara Police Chief Corey Morgan made similar comments in a video posted online last week, saying “as a matter of practice, we do not confirm, deny, or speculate about the existence or activities of other agencies.”
Sameena Usman, the government relations manager of the non-profit organization Secure Justice, told the council that “just because something has not been planned for a long time does not mean that they can just change their minds and plan something now.”
