Federal enforcement will be restricted on Pomona city property
By Connor Lālea Hampton, April 14, 2026
Pomona City Council unanimously approved and adopted a resolution restricting the use of city property for federal enforcement staging of civil immigration enforcement operations during a city council meeting April 6 because of past raids on the community.
This follows the Jurupa City Council, which in response to the killing of Renee Good created a resolution prohibiting the federal government from using any city property to stage their civil immigration enforcement Jan. 15.
“Let’s say they wanted to do a raid on the Pomona economic opportunity center,” said Pomona council member Nora Garcia. “The (Department of Homeland Security) would not be allowed to organize, plan or plant their cars anywhere on city property. For example, City Hall parking lot.”
The resolution includes three sections. The first confirms the limitation on use of city parking lots, parking ramps, vacant lots and garages. The last section appoints the city clerk to certify the adoption effective immediately upon its approval, meaning the resolution was immediately adopted.
DHS took over Mill Street between the Indian Hill Mall Indoor Swap Meet and That 80’s Bar in June 2025, according to Garcia.
“From there, they then proceeded to hit 15 locations in our city to kidnap our residents,” Garcia said. “So, what we will do is we want to prevent them from using city locations for those purposes.”
The second section of the resolution outlines the city manager as responsible for helping relevant city departments identify which spaces have been used or are likely to be used in the future by federal, state or local government entities or personnel as a staging area for immigration enforcement operations.
Because the motion is a resolution rather than an ordinance, it is not codified within municipal code or law. The motion was passed for the sake of efficiency to ensure Pomona property cannot be used to “terrorize” the community, according to city attorney Sonia Carvalho.
An ordinance has an adoption process and requires an introduction as well as a period of 30 days before it takes effect. An ordinance can also have enforcement provisions, meaning the city could cite someone for an infraction or a misdemeanor. The resolution was effective immediately after approval April 6.
Claudia Bautista Perales, a member of ICE Out of Pomona and executive director for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, said city council should not just introduce this resolution but also an additional ordinance auditing city contractors to ensure none work with DHS.
“We see this as a good first step, but we want to make sure that conversations will continue about additional protections the city can put forth to protect them like a community,” Bautista Perales said.
Another ICE Out of Pomona attendee, Vanessa Medina asked city council to be aware of a contract with Flock Safety Cameras because of the data it could share with federal agencies.
Councilmember Lorraine Canales suggested an amendment for clear directives for citizens to report such activity to the police non-emergency number or via the Pomona Go app, which was passed.
“They were trying to tell the people different ways they can report ICE because most people see ICE and call 911, and there’s only so much the police can do,” said Cal Poly Pomona psychology student and meeting attendee Karen Gomez. “They’re trying to have centers where the people call and report ICE and something can be done about them.”
The resolution differs from the Jurupa City Council because it does not include a requirement for any agents to provide visible agency identification, badge numbers and clear markings.
Gomez said she feels CPP students should be aware of what to do when they see ICE and warned them to stay safe because it’s not the safest time to be out and about.
“There’s been a lot of people who have had their family members being taken away by ICE and everyone’s just scared right now,” Gomez said.
Mayor Tim Sandoval told attendees at the city council meeting there is a city task force to continue to regularly address immigration enforcement issues. He said no one in the Pomona community should feel unwanted or unwelcome.
Sandoval also encouraged members of Pomona to continue bringing up concerns they have about immigration enforcement, such as racial profiling.
“What kind of America are we living in where this is allowed,” Sandoval said. “I will tell you the resistance of community, not just in the city alone but all of this country has made a significant difference.”
Feature image courtesy of Pomona city council
