Good morning, councilmembers. My name is Brisa Velazquez and I am the immigrants’ rights staff attorney at the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties.
We fully support the Due Process and Safety Ordinance, a critical response to increase local protections for San Diego families. This ordinance sends a clear message to all San Diegans: you deserve to feel safe in your city, and your city is fighting to protect you.
We are in support of this ordinance because it establishes clear guidelines for how the city will address the attacks we are seeing on immigrants, Black and Brown community members, the LGBTQIA+ community, people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care, people with disabilities, and those simply expressing their political or religious opinions. The ordinance makes clear that the city will not share information or allow unlawful immigration enforcement on its property unless required by law or a warrant. The ordinance also includes transparency provisions to help the community better understand how local resources are used if, and when, there is cooperation with law enforcement.
Additionally, the ordinance addresses joint task forces which operate with a lack of oversight and transparency, raising serious privacy and civil rights concerns.
Nationwide, we are witnessing increased targeting of immigrant communities and people of color. The federal government has intentionally created a climate of fear and intimidation which is traumatizing our communities, making people feel less safe in their daily lives.
These attacks are not just on immigrant communities. They are part of a broader power grab which aims to dismantle the protections previous generations fiercely fought to secure. When one person's rights are stripped away, the thread that binds all our freedoms begins to fray.
The city of San Diego has a responsibility in ensuring the civil rights and liberties of ALL of its residents. This ordinance takes a critical regional approach to increase local protections for San Diego families.
I urge the council to vote in favor of this ordinance.
Thank you.
