Safeguard Richmond
U P D AT E A N D I M P L E M E N TAT I O N S T R AT E G Y City Manager’s Office
City Attorney's Office
City Council Meeting
March 17, 2026
1 Overview
• Council Direction
• Current & Ongoing Immigration Related Efforts
Ordinances
RPD Policy 414
Employee Support & Limited Assistance Protocol
Community Resources and Outreach
• Draft Safeguard Richmond Plan Development
• Community Engagement
• Amendments to RMC Chapter 2.30
• Next Steps 2
Council Direction
To direct the city manager and city attorney to report to the City Council on March 3, 2026, regarding the City’s ongoing and planned efforts related to safeguard residents from federal civil immigration enforcement actions, including ICE raids, and to return within 45 days with a proposed ICE-Free Zone Ordinance.
The proposed ordinance shall restrict the use of City-owned or City-controlled property, facilities, personnel, and resources for federal civil immigration enforcement; including staging areas, processing or detention locations and operation bases; and establish non-cooperation and resource-denial policies consistent with applicable law; and require the development of a coordinated implementation strategy, including interdepartmental protocols, staff training, and a community-facing preparedness and communications plan. 3 Ongoing Efforts & Moving Forward
Ordinance 29-90
Policies for Providing
Information to
Immigration and
Naturalization Services,
outlining the role of the
City’s Police
Department in
Immigration and
Naturalization matters
4 Ordinance 12-18
In 2018, the Council
built on this by passing,
Sanctuary City Contract
and Investment Policy,
establishing a policy
that brought the City
into alignment with
California’s Sanctuary
City Contracting and
Investment guidelines.
Ordinance 08-25
RMC Chapter 2.30
Passed in 2025 to
preserve limited local
resources, ensure
community security,
and uphold community
trust and to align local
policy with the
California Values Act (SB
54). Amendments will
be proposed in late
March/early April to
further strengthen and
clarify limitations.
Richmond Police
Department Policy 414
Establishes the
Department’s
framework for
responding to
immigration-related
issues in a manner
consistent with state
and local law, while
reinforcing community
trust and public safety
Ongoing Efforts & Moving Forward
• Implemented in January
2025 to delineate areas
within City-owned
buildings and facilities that
are inaccessible to
unauthorized individuals
and installed signage
Limited Assistance
Protocol
• Municipal ID
• City of Richmond Immigrant
Legal Services And Public
Awareness Campaign (ILSPAC)
• Know Your Rights education
Community Resources
and Outreach
• Limited Assistance and ICE
Encounter Training
• Signage
• Employee Assistance Support
• Know Your Rights Notification
Employee Education
and Support
5 Immigrant Legal Services And Public Awareness
Campaign (ILSPAC)
6 Organization Deliverables - ~January 31, 2026
Catholic Charities
Focus Area: Affirmative
immigration legal services and
outreach.
114 Cases [Service type top 3 – 61 Consultations (all Types), 13 FOIA, 10 U- Visa/U-Cert]
11 Outreach Events [163 participants]
East Bay Sanctuary
Focus Area: Removal defense and
legal consultations
Client Representation 14 [4 Full Scope removal defense, 3 work permits for families, 7 removal Defense consultations]
Multicultural Institute
Focus Area: Immigrant rights
education and community
outreach
143 Workers registered, 410 Low-income registered
Weeks of Street Outreach 15
KYR red cards & rapid response carts outreach 300
8 Workshops & 3 Legal Clinics, 246 participants, 52 Referrals Adopt a Corner Trained - 72
For Additional Inquiries Gabino Arredondo (510) 620-6606, [email protected] City staff has reviewed current efforts and is working
on a comprehensive approach to expand current efforts to continue to address community safety and rights.
7 Continuing training
and implementation of
Limited Access Protocol
The City will continue to provide training to City staff on the Limited Access Protocol and installing signage on city-owned property consistent with RMC Chapter 2.30 (and future amendments) to indicate appropriate usage and access levels of city-owned property. 8 Draft Safeguard Richmond
Coordinated Response Plan
In anticipation of amendments for Richmond Municipal
Code Chapter 2.30, a draft implementation strategy is being developed to align operational procedurals,
interdepartmental coordination, and community
partnerships.
While the Plan cannot prohibit federal immigration
enforcement from acting within City boundaries and City staff cannot lawfully interfere with federal agents executing a valid federal judicial warrant, the Plan will ensure City staff complies with applicable law, protects constitutional rights, and limits immigration assistance consistent with local and state law.
9 Draft Comprehensive
Communication Plan
Develop and evaluating Clear communications protocols to inform the community
City staff has begun:
• Evaluating messaging platforms to inform and update the community
• Developing an internal communications protocol to determine departmental responsibilities for vetting and verifying information
• Researching if existing service providers can support community engagement activities, communication, and what information is requested
City staff will hold community meetings to solicit feedback on the communication plan 10
Community Preparedness
Immigrant Legal Services and Public
Awareness Plan
Continue to implement awareness of ILSPAC
• Provides free or low-cost legal consultations, case screenings, and full- scope representation for eligible, low-income residents • Educates residents about rights through Know-Your-Rights worships, multilingual materials, and citizenship preparation courses Provide recommendations for
neighborhood strategies for
emergency preparedness
Encourage Development
of Neighborhood
Safety Plans
11 Community Engagement
Initial Community Input:
• Use multiple social media platforms, TV, Radio, target specific groups to inform the community
• Make resources language accessible
• Mobile Trainings and Services in the community
• Partnering with Faith Community
• Additional trainings: Legal Observer Training, Know
Your Rights, tailored to specific communities such as
unhoused, youth, and businesses
• Emergency and Family preparedness plans
• Collaboration with local partners WCCUSD, Contra
Costa College, Counties, Cities, and Neighborhood
Councils
12 Amendments to RMC Chapter 2.30
Richmond Municipal Code 2.30.030: "[N]o City resources, including but not limited to City personnel and City property, shall be utilized to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration law" unless required by federal or state law.
The City Attorney's Office is working on amendments to RMC Chapter 2.30 that would:
• Clarify what the existing limitation on the use of City-owned property encompasses, including preventing the use of City property as a staging area, processing location, or operational base for civil immigration enforcement; • Clarify what the existing limitation on the use of City resources means • Delineate departmental responsibilities to implement and train employees on the Limited Access Protocol • Memorialize development of the external communications plan • Establish reporting requirements regarding implementation of RMC Chapter 2.30 Meetings with City Council have already occurred to discuss the scope, implementation, and potential impact of amendments
Draft amendments are expected by late March/early April to ensure ample time for thorough review before they are presented for final approval
13 Next Steps
• Amendments to Richmond Municipal Code Chapter 2.30
• Continued Community Input Meetings and Engagement
• City staff are also researching if existing service providers can support community engagement activities and communication
• It would be helpful for the Mayor to consider appointing a Council ad-hoc that will provide feedback as needed to update implementation documents and protocols as appropriate
14 Thank You
City Manager’s Office
City Attorney's Office
15