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Livermore officials and residents are reaffirming their support for the immigrant community following reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested four people in the city last week.
Seeing ICE in Livermore was “very traumatic” for the community, Vice Mayor Kristie Wang said during Monday’s City Council meeting. She also reassured the public that help is available.
“You’re not alone. We see you. We’re very worried for you,” Wang said. “I myself am an immigrant, and this kind of thing really spikes my fears as well.”
Wang said that, as someone who has secured U.S. citizenship, she feels safe speaking up and encouraged residents to reach out to her personally for support.
All four arrests were made Nov. 5, according to the Alameda County Immigrant Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP). Agents reportedly arrested three people about 9 a.m. near Paseo Laguna Seco and Corte Reina Common, ACILEP confirmed on social media. About 2:10 p.m., roughly 1.5 miles away, ICE arrested another person in the parking lot of Grocery Outlet at 1320 Railroad Ave., ACILEP said.
The organization also said it had received and confirmed additional reports of ICE activity in Livermore that day, unrelated to the arrests.
The Department of Homeland Security last week declined to confirm the arrests or the presence of agents in the city, citing “operational security and the safety of our officers.” However, a video of what appears to be ICE agents arresting a man in a parking lot in Livermore has been circulating online.
In a post on the city’s website, Livermore officials said they “cannot confirm whether more activity will occur” because the city does not receive advance notice of federal immigration enforcement. However, officials encouraged residents to use resources such as legal assistance and immigration rights information available on the city’s website or through the Livermore Public Libraries.
The Livermore Police Department also confirmed that it plays no role in immigration enforcement. As of Tuesday, city officials said DHS had not provided any additional information about agents’ activities in the area.
The California Values Act typically prohibits local law enforcement agencies from using their resources to assist federal immigration enforcement. The statement posted to the city’s website also noted that immigration status itself, “absent criminal behavior,” does not warrant local police action.
The Livermore arrests came amid a reported uptick in ICE activity across Alameda County. Agents arrested a man Oct. 25 near the Santa Rita Jail in what Department of Homeland Security officials called a targeted enforcement operation. ICE personnel and vehicles have also reportedly been spotted at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Pleasanton.
Meanwhile, ICE’s unauthorized use of Santa Rita Jail facilities for immigration enforcement activities prompted the county’s top lawyer to send a cease-and-desist letter to federal immigration authorities on Monday, demanding that agents stay off the jail facilities and “all other county-owned or -controlled property for civil immigration enforcement activities.”
The letter follows multiple instances of ICE personnel ignoring instruction from Alameda County Sheriff’s Office staff to leave and stop conducting its activities in jail facilities, according to the letter.
On Nov. 1, an ICE agent reportedly chased a man from the jail parking
lot into the lobby and “forcibly” arrested him there, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and the letter sent by Interim County Counsel Andrea Weddle to Julio Hernandez, the acting field office director for ICE’s San Francisco office.
Then, on Nov. 8, two ICE agents were involved in a “physical confrontation with members of the public in the jail’s lobby,” Weddle wrote in her letter.
“ICE agents engaging in physical confrontations with members of the public in the jail parking lot, lobby or other facilities creates potentially dangerous and unpredictable circumstances carrying an unacceptable risk of confusion and physical harm,” she added.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said it was restricting access to Santa Rita Jail to people with appointments and official business, effective immediately.
“The (Sheriff’s Office) remains committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment at the Santa Rita Jail for our personnel, individuals in custody and visitors,” the office wrote in a social media post.
The Sheriff’s Office reiterated in a statement last Saturday (Nov. 7) that it does not “participate in federal civil immigration enforcement or honor administrative immigration warrants.”
At the council meeting, Councilmember Evan Branning spoke out against the reported arrests, saying the detainees disappeared from their families and are “lost to our community.”
Although the city has limited authority, it wants to do everything it can to make sure everyone, regardless of immigration status, feels safe, he said.
Mayor John Marchand also expressed concerns.
“These are difficult and uncertain times,” he said. “We are dealing with an administration which really is unparalleled, in my experience.”
Residents have also spoken up against ICE’s presence in the community. Some Granada High School students walked out of class on Tuesday to protest ICE’s presence in the city, according to reporting from KTVU Fox 2.
During the public comment portion of Monday’s council meeting, four people voiced their opposition to immigration enforcement activities in Livermore. At least two of those speakers, including Yang You, a Livermore resident, immigrant, paralegal and substitute teacher, urged the county to consider ordinances restricting ICE activity locally.
Livermore is responsible for protecting its residents and maintaining public trust, she said, adding she was particularly concerned about children losing educational opportunities due to families’ fear of ICE.
She suggested the city council consider a comprehensive ordinance preventing city property, personnel, equipment and resources from being used to support immigration enforcement to the fullest extent of the law.
Livermore officials said they are currently working with federal representatives to share the community’s concerns and to better understand the reported activity.
Livermore must adopt policies for how the jurisdiction manages interactions with immigration authorities by Jan. 1, 2027, following guidance from California Attorney General Rob Bonta or an equivalent authority. The city is in the process of developing those administrative policies, city manager Marianna Burch said.
