City of Camarillo
Public Comments
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:14 PMPUBLIC COMMENTS
NOTICE
This is a public document and will be posted as part of the public record. Any attachments, pictures, and information submitted will be subject to disclosure in accordance with applicable law, including the Public Records Act.
Meeting Date Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Agency City Council
Item Type Item Not On Agenda
Item Number or Subject ICE Attacks and Raids in Camarillo and Broader Ventura County Position Not Applicable
Comments I also plan to give this comment verbally at the meeting, but in case I am not able or run out of time I am submitting it here as well. It may also have extra details omitted in the verbal comment due to time constraints.
The City of Camarillo, not to mention this country as a whole, is in a moral crisis. We have recently seen a significant increase in the activity of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and its affiliates, such as HS (Homeland Security) and CBP
(Customs and Border Patrol), as well as a massive increase in their brutality. Fear pervades the streets of the county as unmarked vehicles have been appearing anywhere and
everywhere, with unidentified and heavily armed agents (or those impersonating them) jumping out to brutally assault and kidnap anyone they believe is a so-called “illegal.” This is even happening here in Camarillo, and the fear and anger are especially prevalent in one area, where ICE has a field office.
Trust in our local police and sheriff departments is lower than ever as documented evidence of law enforcement assisting or protecting ICE in their operations continues to surface. The higher levels of government refuse to listen to the voices of the People, so now we turn to you to address this crisis.
1 We the People do not ask, but demand that the City of Camarillo refuse to cooperate with ICE, and ideally ban them from our communities, as well as actively protect our immigrant
neighbors, regardless of whether they are legal or "illegal." This is the bare minimum you can do, and as you can see, the majority of your constituents want this. While I know not all of you are liberal, in my opinion, liberal politicians of the last decade have been severely lacking in backbone; a willingness to stand up for their ideals even to their own detriment. This is especially the case with those more moderate/centrist than their left wing counterparts. I hope all of you will show some backbone going forward. Some of you have already shown
some backbone, but others have severely disappointed us.
We are entering a dangerous period of history for this country and the world. If nothing or not enough is done to remedy the situation, the People’s dissatisfaction will reach a climax sooner or later, and after every legitimate avenue of action has failed or been exhausted, the People will surely choose those avenues that are not. And the first step in preventing that kind of escalation of the current situation is earning the People’s trust.
The world won’t change for the better unless we are able to trust each other. Right now that trust just doesn't exist. It is your job to restore that trust. Lastly, I adhere to the idea that one should live by the rules they have set for themselves. For me, one of those is being a morally good person on the right side of history. I promised myself this long ago, and I will be damned if I let Nazism, Jim Crow laws, etc. be resurrected in my lifetime! So, we ask you, city council, to at least do the bare minimum and be more than, as a famous cultural icon of my generation once said, a “spineless, pale, pathetic lot!” This comment is especially directed at those on the council that may be more moderate/centrist or outright conservative. Remember, the community is watching, and we will remember what you did or did not do in this time of crisis, especially when we go to the polls.
Upload Additional Information
IDENTIFICATION
Name
Address
Telephone
Email
Public Records Acknowledgement
2