National City vows to offer city services regardless of immigration status

June 22, 2017 5 PM PT

National City has passed legislation declaring that residents can access city services regardless of immigration status.

The resolution also prohibits city police from involving themselves in immigration enforcement and calls on President Donald Trump to maintain protections put in place by his predecessor for unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

The resolution also supports passage of Senate Bill 54, which would make California a “sanctuary state” by limiting law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Monday’s unanimous vote represents a turnaround from February, when a similar measure was amended to remove provisions declaring city services open to all residents, regardless of immigration status.

The vote came after a push by residents for the council to reconsider the February action.

At Monday’s special meeting that lasted several hours, council members settled on a “compassionate community” label that was different from the “welcoming city” designation rejected in February.

“The City Council of the City of National City hereby declares National City to continue to be a city that serves and protects its residents and visitors with constitutional rights and due process,” the resolution states. “The City Council directs city departments and encourages local businesses, and charitable organizations to work with refugee and immigrant organizations to help provide services to families relocating to the City of National City and integrating into our communities.”

Despite wording differences, the spirit of the two resolutions was the same, according Christian Ramirez, human rights director for liberal advocacy group Alliance San Diego.

“This reassures the people of National City, one of the most diverse cities in the county, this is a community that is proud of its immigrant and refugee heritage,” Ramirez said by telephone. “I think that this resolution really reaffirms the welcoming character of National City.”

Council members called for a special meeting after residents rallied earlier in June about the designation and other issues.

The new resolution says that residents and city employees should stand up to bullying and discrimination. It opposes immigration raids and racial profiling, and it calls on the federal government to limit what immigration enforcement actions can occur without a warrant.

“A resolution is not a protection against enforcement,” Ramirez said, “but this is certainly a bold step in the right direction to ensure that local elected officials are also weighing in on what enforcement practices should look like.”

» Join the discussion on Facebook

He said that when the televisions displaying council members’ votes turned green with the unanimous decision, the crowd in council chambers erupted in cheers and even a “Hallelujah!”

Not everyone in National City supports the resolution.

Thomas Smith, 69, a local chiropractor, said that supporting Senate Bill 54 is not a good idea.

“I would like to see someone explain to me how having a sanctuary state would cost less and benefit more,” Smith said by telephone.

Smith said he considers himself to be a compassionate person. Many of his patients are Mexican and Filipino, and for the ones that he believes are really in need, he sometimes provides services for free. He recalled giving food to migrants coming to his family’s door when he was growing up in the South Bay.

That kind of compassion, he said, should happen at an individual level and not through the government.

“It should all be done legally so that what’s fair for one person is fair for another,” Smith said, referring to paths for immigration.

Smith said he didn’t think there was anything he could do to take action regarding his feelings about the resolution. He said people who think like him are afraid to speak up for fear of being called racist.

He said he hopes that at some point people with different perspectives will be able to sit down and have a peaceful dialogue.

“We’re all made out of the same stuff,” Smith said.

Welcoming city resolutions became a controversial issue for city councils across San Diego County last year after some residents opposed to the resolutions began speaking out at council meetings. In Imperial Beach, the designation was rescinded.

National City’s first attempt to pass such a resolution in February ended up with much of the language removed because of concerns over the controversy. Instead, the council passed a resolution “in support of continuing to be a community that supports all residents and visitors.”

Ramirez said he is not worried about National City’s new resolution getting overturned.

“My sense is that this city is very united now, and that this resolution stands and will continue to stand,” Ramirez said.

He hopes to see National City create a Human Relations Commission that would further ensure fair treatment of immigrants and refugees, he said.

Immigration Videos