City of Camarillo
Comments received by 3:00 p.m. for City
Council; 4:00 p.m. for Planning Commission
on the meeting date, will be distributed to all
Council/Board Members prior to the meeting.
Written comments received after the stated
time will be distributed after the meeting.
Monday, February 23, 2026 07:21 AMPUBLIC 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.
City Council / Camarillo Sanitary
District / Camarillo Library Board
Meeting Date
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Planning Commission Meeting Date
Agency City Council / Camarillo Sanitary District / Camarillo Library Board
Item Type Item Not On Agenda
Item Number or Subject Protecting our Children
Position Not Applicable
Comments Mayor and Members of the Camarillo City Council, I am submitting this comment to express deep concern over a recent case reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune involving a 16-year-old asylum-seeker named Sebastian.
In early January, Sebastian was detained by ICE in Minneapolis and moved between multiple locations, including a hotel room where he was held alone under guard. His family searched frantically but were not told where he was. He was eventually flown to Michigan and placed in a shelter operated by Bethany Christian Services. While there, he was reportedly given multiple vaccinations, allowed to call his father only under supervision, and prohibited from disclosing his location.
When a federal judge ordered ICE to address his detention, an ICE attorney initially stated there was no record that he was in custody. It took coordinated legal and investigative work to 1 trace his phone calls and locate him. His father ultimately drove to Michigan to bring him home.
The family later learned Sebastian had been labeled an
“unaccompanied minor” despite living with his father in the United States. He was issued a second immigration
identification number — even though he already had one
through his asylum case — effectively making him untraceable within the system. The shelter where he was held has faced recent allegations involving staff misconduct, including a 2023 case in which a staff member accused of sexually abusing minors ultimately pled down to assault. At one point,
Sebastian’s father says he was told he might have to remain there until age 18 or be adopted out.
Sebastian was released only after his family agreed to drop their wrongful detention case.
He is not the only child whose family has struggled to retrieve them under new federal requirements. This case raises serious questions about due process, transparency, and the ability of parents to locate and reunite with their own children.
I urge this Council to speak clearly in defense of constitutional protections and family unity. What happened to this child should concern every community, including ours.
Thank you.
https://www.startribune.com/how-ice-labeled-a-
minnesota-teen-an-unaccompanied-minor-and-lost-
him/601578960
Upload Additional Information
IDENTIFICATION
2 Name Blanca O
Address
Telephone
Email
Public Records Acknowledgement
3