Santa Clara County’s Latino leaders pledge to protect immigrant community

From denouncing raids to providing food assistance and legal aid to families impacted by federal immigration enforcement Latino leaders across Santa Clara County this week committed to supporting a society that they say is under attack under the Trump administration Gathering at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in the Mayfair neighborhood of east San Jose on Monday afternoon more than a dozen current and former local elected leaders signed onto the Latino and Immigrant Justice Pledge Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas who spearheaded the effort disclosed the pledge is not symbolic but instead program that is connected to this promise Fear has been growing across California s immigrant and Latino communities as President Donald Trump executes plans to carry out the largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history U S Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents who often wear masks to conceal their identities have been detaining people showing up for court hearings and sweeping work sites Related Articles As July approaches Supreme Court signs away American democracy Amid ICE arrests LA County leaders to consider suing the federal governing body over enforcement tactics Trump says settlers would need to know how to run away from an alligator to flee Florida facility California Republicans ask President Trump to focus immigration efforts on violent criminals rather than non-criminal settlers Temporary restraining order bars ICE from re-detaining Bay Area man Caught in the crossfires of Trump s agenda American-born Latinos have broadcasted being detained by ICE bureaucrats despite showing proof of citizenship raising concerns about racial profiling and who s being targeted We can t let ourselves be fooled these attacks on our locality have nothing to do with national measure or general safety they have everything to do with fear and division Arenas the daughter of Mexican immigrants explained in Spanish Their purpose is to rob our people of our dignity to take away our voice to erase our achievements and to push us even further into the shadows The pledge is made up of action items ranging from championing comprehensive immigration improvement and supporting policies that welcome immigrants to investing in teaching housing strength care and infrastructure in Latino neighborhoods In the hours since its unveiling more than local elected leaders and neighborhood leaders have signed on Santa Clara County is considered a sanctuary jurisdiction having adopted policies that prohibit the use of local law enforcement for federal immigration enforcement In fresh weeks though the strength of those policies has been called into question as ICE agents have been using the county s publicly available online portals and jail staffers to determine release times of those they are seeking to deport Arenas revealed in a announcement that masses inmate locators and court records were designed to promote transparency and access not to serve as backdoors for immigration enforcement ICE is mining inhabitants evidence to track and target individuals who have served their time and are working at rebuilding their lives further eroding inhabitants trust and instilling fear into our communities Arenas added that the county can t prohibit the federal governing body from accessing publicly available information but stated she intends to ensure the county closely monitors this troubling tactic Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Vice President Sylvia Arenas speaks at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose Calif on Monday June Arenas along with other elected bureaucrats and society leaders held a press conference to announce a unified response to federal actions causing fear and instability within the Latino region Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group Morgan Hill Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Martinez Beltr n speaks at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose Calif on Monday June Arenas along with other Latino elected executives and society leaders held a press conference to announce a unified response to federal actions causing fear and instability within the Latino group Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group From left to right San Jose City Councilmembers Pamela Campos Rosemary Kamei and Domingo Candelas listen to a speaker at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose Calif on Monday June Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Vice President Sylvia Arenas along with other Latino elected officers and group leaders held a press conference to announce a unified response to federal actions causing fear and instability within the Latino public Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group Show Caption of Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Vice President Sylvia Arenas speaks at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose Calif on Monday June Arenas along with other elected executives and region leaders held a press conference to announce a unified response to federal actions causing fear and instability within the Latino neighborhood Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group Expand Morgan Hill Councilmember Yvonne Mart nez Beltr n explained that families being separated and U S citizens being wrongfully detained by ICE are matters of masses safety We must prepare ourselves and that is what you see us doing here nowadays because unless we demand change we will see no difference she noted Think about the erosion of community trust that this is creating and breeding in our communities when people do not know who they can trust to uphold their basic rights Fear spreads It silences It isolates Sergio Jimenez who represented District on the San Jose City Council until late last year called the pledge an unwavering stand by specific of the greater part prominent Latino leaders in the county It s a shared community commitment to accountability and action and transformational change he noted Latino communities have long contributed to the prosperity of this country and deserve the same protections opportunities and respect afforded to all Luis Melecio-Zambrano contributed to this assessment