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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will discuss policies targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the area at the regular meeting Tuesday.
Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller are presenting ordinance amendments, which would further limit the county’s cooperation with ICE, establish a public notice system regarding ICE, and regulate law enforcement’s use of face masks. The mission is to intensify the county’s low-cooperation ICE policy, which was adopted in 2023.
“Recent developments have demonstrated the need to strengthen and clarify these protections to ensure that County operations, facilities, and personnel do not support immigration enforcement activity,” according to the staff report for this agenda item.
This news organization published a report less than a week ago highlighting that while immigration authorities rarely notify regional officials of ICE activity in the area, many local leaders don’t inform the public when they become aware of immigration enforcement in their communities.
“Lack of transparency” was listed in the staff report as the first concern fueling these ordinance amendments, as there is no formal mechanism for the county to report immigration enforcement activities. Corzo and Mueller are seeking to introduce a “consistent reporting structure.”
“Public fear” and “public safety” were also mentioned in the staff report, with one of several proposed solutions requiring enforcement officers to visibly identify themselves.
The discussion will cover other implications of increased ICE presence in the county, which has prompted over 45 arrests in September and October, according to the county’s rapid response unit, Faith in Action Bay Area.
Attend the meeting in person at 500 County Center at 9 a.m., or on Zoom via this link.
Editor’s Note: The caption of this article was updated for clarity.
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