Once a ‘rule of law’ city, Costa Mesa offers assurances to Latinos amid ICE activity
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As federal immigration enforcement efforts ramp up throughout Orange County, officials in Costa Mesa, where Latinos comprise nearly 36% of the population, this week reassured residents the city’s police department would not enforce immigration laws or investigate residents’ legal status.
In a community message issued Tuesday on behalf of Mayor John Stephens and Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez, leaders reaffirmed the city’s commitment to the safety of all residents.
“We stand firmly by our core values of inclusivity and compassion for all members of our diverse community,” read the statement, which promised safe harbor to peaceful protesters while offering a warning to those who might use a demonstration to justify acts of violence, vandalism or property damage.
“The Costa Mesa Police Department cannot and will not enforce immigration laws nor investigate immigration status,” the missive continued. “If there is a crime that needs to be reported, or if you are in need of officer assistance, our police department is here for you, regardless of immigration status — do not hesitate to call for help.”
The proclamation comes amid reports this week of enhanced ICE sightings and activity in the neighboring cities of Santa Ana and Fountain Valley, where individuals have been reportedly detained by agents in the course of normal daily activities, including at job sites.
“The impetus [for the message] was a palpable fear we were sensing in the community from our Latino residents, so our intention was to alleviate some of the concerns,” said Chavez, who represents the predominantly Latino 4th Council District on the city’s west side.
“It was really important for us to remind folks CMPD supports everyone in the community — it’s so vital for me that my residents feel comfortable calling CMPD if anything happens.”
Tuesday’s message is a far cry from Costa Mesa’s earlier stances on immigration enforcement and the role local police officers should play in reporting and tracking residents’ legal status.
The federal government in 2006 agreed to assign a full-time immigration agent to work inside Costa Mesa’s jail so the residency of detainees could be verified. Prior to that, such verification was undertaken by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department but was not common at the city level.
Over the next four years, nearly 1,300 individuals processed through the jail would be identified as undocumented immigrants, according to city records, although it is unknown how many were processed or deported at the federal level.
The move was championed by then-Mayor Allan Mansoor, a vocal anti-immigrant activist, who was still on the council in 2010, when a conservative-led, five-member council voted to declare Costa Mesa a ‘rule of law’ city.
Resolution No. 10-27 pledged the city would support federal immigration enforcement through the adoption of local measures and would not be a sanctuary to those who violated immigration laws.
Mayor Pro Tem Chavez in an interview Thursday recalled being 15 at the time the declaration was made. The anti-Latino sentiment in the community was thinly veiled and families were reluctant to contact the police at the time.
“There was a lot of rhetoric. You knew it was there and you couldn’t hide from it,” he said. “For me, the perception of my community and what we felt was there was no need to call the police. That’s how I grew up.”
In a contentious vote early Wednesday, the Costa Mesa City Council became Orange County’s latest governing body to declare official opposition to Senate Bill 54, a California “sanctuary state” law that provides expanded protection for undocumented immigrants.
Chavez was 22 years old in 2018, when a group of residents and officials rallied for the city to officially oppose Senate Bill 54, a “sanctuary state” law that provided expanded protection for undocumented immigrants.
He translated the public comment of a Spanish-speaking resident who wished to share her concerns with the council and later that year ran for a seat on the newly districted council and won with nearly 61% of the vote.
“It was at that moment I felt the need to step up for residents in my community, who are here working and following the rules and following the law but just happen to be undocumented,” the mayor pro tem said. “They just want the American dream, to have a roof over their heads, food on the table, a good job and good education for their children.”
Roberto Herrera is a leadership development director for Resilience Orange County, a nonprofit social justice group that aims to build leadership and representation in local communities of color. Since 2022, the group has created the neighborhood initiative Costa Mesa Unidos to focus, in part, on tenant protections.
He said a series of public arrests earlier this year involving Homeland Security agents in Costa Mesa, even if not directly related to immigration enforcement, have raised concerns about an increased federal presence in town.
“I was working with city council members to verify if this [activity] involved CMPD,” Herrera said. “I think this initial effort was to blanket all those in the immigrant community as criminals.”
While advocates appreciate Costa Mesa officials’ efforts to reassure the immigrant community of their inclusion and protection, Herrera suggested the city might take a page from Santa Ana, and support a legal defense fund for detained residents.
“Right now, this message to the public is helpful, but I believe the city can do more,” he said. “People are being detained and deported, so legal services are what’s needed right now.”
Costa Mesa police officials declined requests for an interview on the department’s history of immigration enforcement and policing in years past, but spokesperson Roxi Fyad on Thursday affirmed this week’s message in a separate comment.
“We, as a local police department in California, cannot and will not enforce immigration laws nor investigate immigration status. We are here to protect and serve our community,” she said.
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