San Jose is planning to slash its funding for immigrant protection services in half amid a budget deficit, while immigrants continue to face fear of federal enforcement. The city’s proposed operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year allocates $500,000 for legal defense services and education — half of what the city allocated last year. Immigration advocates...
Medi-Cal cuts create problems for Silicon Valley immigrants
Budget cuts to Medi-Cal are threatening the fabric of Silicon Valley’s health care system — and immigrants are among the hardest hit populations. Some immigrants have experienced delays in services, medication cuts, difficulties navigating the new health care landscape and uncertainties about available services. Others have dropped coverage completely for fear of having their information...
Sunnyvale joins other cities in approving ICE-free zones
Another South Bay city is working to keep federal immigration agents off public property, following the lead of its neighbors. The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using city-owned property for civil enforcement. The policy directs the city to provide “know your rights” resources and...
VTA could block ICE from using its properties
Property owned by a local public transit agency may become the latest territory federal immigration agents are blocked from using in Santa Clara County. VTA’s board of directors on Thursday asked staff to explore a policy to prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity on property it owns, including parking lots, and to continue...
Silicon Valley social workers meet clients in secret due to ICE fears
As fears of federal agent encounters grow and immigrant families avoid leaving home, workers in Santa Clara County are finding creative ways to meet clients in safe spaces. That community effort has formed an underground support network where social workers who are SEIU 521 union members shift visits to odd hours of the night, connect...
Advocates want San Jose to divest from companies tied to ICE
San Jose officials are weighing growing calls to divest the city from companies that critics say don’t align with local values. The City Council is set to take up the controversial divestment conversation March 24 during an annual review of the city’s investment policy. A group of local advocates has long been urging the city...
Campbell set to ban ICE from using public facilities
One West Valley city wants to make its public spaces off limits to federal immigration agents. Campbell Councilmember Sergio Lopez has proposed adopting a policy similar to one in Santa Clara that bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using public property for immigration enforcement. The City Council on Feb. 17 unanimously approved the...
Bay Area lawmakers author bills to deter immigration enforcement
State and federal lawmakers from Silicon Valley are gearing up to push back against immigration enforcement in their home districts and beyond. Several Bay Area lawmakers have introduced legislation this year to tamp down on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by imposing more taxes on immigrant detention centers, enforcing more oversight and ensuring people...
San Jose pushes to retain transparency amid ICE court rulings
San Jose’s fight against immigration enforcement remains unimpeded as federal rulings try to hamper city and state efforts. California’s requirement for law enforcement to wear identification through the “No Vigilantes Act” has been temporarily paused due to a Thursday ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Judges are set to review the case March...
San Jose’s mask policy holds despite federal ruling
A federal judge has temporarily blocked California from enacting a law that would ban federal agents from wearing masks — but a similar policy in San Jose remains intact. On Feb. 9, federal Judge Christina Snyder ruled that California’s “No Secret Police Act” appears to be discriminatory since it only bans federal agents from wearing...