Federal Immigration Enforcement
Practices and Potential Local
Public Safety Impacts
February 10, 2026
Jason Nutt, Assistant City Manager
Overview
February 10, 2026
• Background
• City Values as an Indivisible City
• Family Separation Safeguards
• SB54 – “California Values Act”
• President Trump’s Executive Order 14159
• Participation in ongoing litigation
• Recent Immigration Enforcement Events
• Potential Additional Actions
• Adoption of Resolution(s) and lobbying efforts through Cal Cities and other associations statewide
• Local Resolution prohibiting unauthorized ICE use of facilities (staging, processing, or operations base
• Additional Considerations1
Background
RES-2017-017 Indivisible City
February 10, 2026
• Adopted by Council on February 7, 2017.
• In response to Presidential deportation threats.
• Resolves to safeguard the civil rights, safety and dignity of residents by:
• Call upon all residents and employees to speak out against bullying, discrimination and hate violence and stand up for those who are targeted. • Oppose deportations based solely on immigration status that splits families and calls on Federal Government to focus on those with federal warrants for felonies endangering the community.
• Santa Rosa Police shall not enforce Federal civil immigration laws and shall not use City funds, resources or personnel to investigate, question, detect, detain or apprehend persons solely on the basis of a possible violation of immigration law.
2 Background
RES-2018-119 Family Separation
February 10, 2026
• Adopted by Council on July 17, 2018.
• In response to nationwide reports of children being separated from families and held in border detention centers.
• Resolves to ensure the safety of children by allowing them to remain with their families if detained at the border:
• Urges President Trump and administration to permanently stop the process of separating families who are entering the US without proper documentation and urges Congress to take bipartisan action to pass legislation to end this process.
3 Background
Senate Bill No. 54 California Values Act
February 10, 2026
• Approved by Governor on October 5, 2017.
• Promotes public safety by ensuring immigrant community members can avail themselves of public services without fear.
• With few exceptions, no state or local resources may be used to investigate, detain, detect, report, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes. • State and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from detaining any person for deportation without a judicial warrant.
• Upheld by the Ninth Circuit of Court of Appeals.
• The 10th Amendment prohibits the commandeering of state and local resources to implement federal programs.
4 Background
President Trump Executive Order 14159
February 10, 2026
Executive Order 14159 “Protecting the American People Against Invasion”, published on January 20, 2025, is part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy to expand removal and prosecution of undocumented immigrants and assert federal authority over sanctuary jurisdictions.
Key policy Impacts:
• Legal challenges over withholding federal funds from “sanctuary” jurisdictions • Implications for state and local autonomy in law enforcement policy • Eroded trust between community members and City government that may harm public safety • Civil liberties, constitutional rights, and due process protections • Potential downstream impacts on labor markets, public services, and mixed-status households 5 Background
Federal Litigation Participation
February 10, 2026
• County of Santa Clara v. Kristi Noem
• Seeks to stop the policy of conditioning Department of Homeland Security public safety and emergency management grant awards on unlawful terms relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion language and policies implemented by local agencies.
• City & County of San Francisco v. Donald Trump
• Challenging Executive Orders and Directives that unlawfully try to withhold federal funding unless local governments help the federal government enforce federal immigration laws.
• Martin Luther King, Jr County v. Scott Turner
• Challenges unlawful attempts by the Trump administration to require local governments receiving DOT, HUD, and HHS grants to use local resources to implement federal policies.
6 Recent Events
• The “One Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB) Act increased ICE funding by $75 billion over four years
• ICE annual budget of nearly $29 billion
• Unprecedented immigration enforcement activity in cities across the nation
• Offering signing bonuses of up to $50K
• Hiring over 12,000 officers and agents
7 Analysis
Recent Events
• Operation Metro Surge
• Joint operation between ICE and CBP with the stated purpose of apprehending undocumented immigrants and deportation.
• Involves at least 3,000 ICE and CBP agents and officers. • Characterized as the largest immigration operation ever carried out by DHS. • Immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota resulting in the fatal shootings of two citizens by ICE agents.
• Renee Good
• Alex Pretti
8 Analysis
Potential Responses
• Resolution urging Congress to adopt legislation to protect public safety by requiring appropriate training, conduct, oversight and accountability standards for federal immigration enforcement agents. • Work with federal lobbyists to promote legislation that mandates extensive training of all immigration enforcement agents consistent with local law enforcement requirements.
9 Analysis
Additional Considerations
Ordinance or Resolution modeled after the City of San Jose resolution and other local agency legislation prohibiting federal immigration enforcement agents from using City-owned or controlled properties, buildings, parks, parking facilities, or other assets as a staging area, processing area, or operations base for civil immigration enforcement. 10 Discussion
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Direction