Over the past several months, members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have carried out operations throughout Southern California, including here in Irvine.
According to City staff, ICE agents operating in Irvine have not targeted specific individuals with criminal records. Instead, they have made stops and detentions based on generalized criteria — including apparent race or ethnicity; speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent; presence at a particular location; and the type of work one does.
So far, 13 individuals have been picked up in Irvine and sent to detention centers for deportation. The latest incident occurred on February 18th when the Irvine Police Department received a 911 call reporting ICE activity at a business near Bake Parkway and Toledo Way. Three female employees of an Irvine business were taken into custody, but no charges against the women were provided to local authorities.
During the February 24th City Council meeting, Mayor Larry Agran — joined by Councilmembers Melinda Liu and Betty Martinez Franco — proposed the establishment of a program to ensure that people working or living in Irvine have access to legal representation if they are detained by ICE.
Under the program, the City would hire an intake officer who would be responsible for connecting Irvine detainees to legal representation.
The program would focus on providing assistance to people apprehended by roving deportation patrols, not those detained in targeted actions authorized by an official judicial warrant.
Mayor Agran, a Harvard-educated attorney, emphasized that the U.S. Constitution grants fundamental rights — including due process — to all individuals, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, under the 5th and 14th Amendments. Agran called the Constitution “the bedrock of our entire American democracy, with the rule of law ensuring that people aren’t picked up and carted away in America without a chance to be connected to legal representation.”
Councilmember Liu, also an attorney, echoed Mayor Agran’s sentiments: “Imagine if you go to a different country and they can just sweep you up and do whatever to you. That’s what we’re talking about. We’re a country of law and order.” Councilmember Martinez Franco said that the program would not defy federal law or obstruct enforcement, but rather would ensure that people living or working in Irvine know their rights, have access to legal representation, and can trust local officials.
Councilmember James Mai opposed the program, saying that he supported ICE activity in Irvine.
After a lengthy discussion, the Council voted 5-2 to officially establish the Immigration Assistance Program. (Councilmembers James Mai and Mike Carroll voted NO.)
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