As immigrant raids continue to sweep Santa Ana’s car wash and Home Depot parking lots, spreading fear in 77% of the Latino community, the city has created a $100,000 fund to help affected families cover essential necessities such as food, rent and utilities.
The emergency fund was proposed by Mayor Valerie Amezcua, who said the city is in crisis due to ongoing immigration and customs enforcement operations. She said Sahuayo, a sister city of Santa Ana in Michoacan, Mexico, provided an additional $50,000 gift to assist the program.
“It’s about the needs of our community,” Amezcua said at a city council meeting on Tuesday. “If it’s a breadwinner father or mother who is being taken away, we don’t want them to lose their shelter.”
The proposal marks a sharp turnaround for the mayor, who faced calls for resignation from the outset in President Trump’s crackdown on immigration in Southern California in early June. During a city council meeting last week, more than a hundred frustrated residents flooded the public comment period, many criticizing Amezcua's reaction to immigration attacks and related protests and criticizing the use of force by the Santa Ana Police Department against demonstrators.
Amezcua initially proposed creating a $1 million aid program by canceling campaigns sponsored by eight cities: July 4, Chicano Heritage Festival, Fiestas Patriass, Noche de Partares, Tet Festival, Tet Festival, Santa Ana Fun Fun, Fun Run, Summer Movie Movie Series and Junteenth.
“We've seen it in other cities where there are big events and ice out. The troops are walking through our families in the park,” she said. “I don't want any big events to hurt or take our families.”
But several council members opposed the idea, saying it was important to continue celebrating community culture, noting that many of these events were months and that ice may not be as active.
“I won’t support granting funds in the cultural events of the Brownest City in Orange County and choosing between celebrating our culture or providing mutual assistance,” said Council member Johnathan Hernandez. “We should do it at the same time.”
Hernandez noted that Santa Ana is the only city in the country to host the Chicano Heritage Festival, celebrating the contributions of pioneering journalist Ruben Salazar and the only carnival in Southern California that celebrates Mexico’s independence. “I think it’s wrong to return these incidents.”
The Council then held a heated one-hour debate on where to make money to create the fund.
Hernandez recommends using the money allocated to the Santa Ana Police Department vacant positions. However, Amezcua pushed back and recklessly whirled his proposal. Councilman David Poinsoza then proposed to seize $1 million from the city’s rainy day fund, but city staff explained that the process of withdrawing from the reserves would require additional meetings and votes.
Ultimately, the Council settled the compromise solution, pulling 10% of the funds from city-sponsored events to get an immediate $100,000 emergency fund. Thai Vietnam Phan, a MP who filed the motion, added that staff should report the efficacy of the fund within 90 days or earlier and make recommendations to increase the budget.
During the public comments, many residents spoke about the pain and trauma that ice raids continue to cause to Santa Ana’s community.
“We are washing cars locally, local home warehouses, our suppliers are happening,” said Sandra De Anda, a staff member of the Orange County Rapid Response Network.
Deanda said she conservatively estimates that 20 to 30 people are detained every day. “I can tell you with confidence because I work with a very determined team of ice observers, dispatchers, lawyers, clergy and most of us,” she said.
Lifelong Santa Ana resident Maria Ceja wrote a letter supporting the fund, asking the city to provide families with a dignified and accessible process for families to receive assistance.
“Most importantly, the city provides financial support after families act illegally without warning,” she wrote. “We have seen that many of the kidnapped neighbors are the main breadwinners of their families. This completely undermines their family stability, especially given the current economic situation, which is our current economic situation as we continue to see prices rise when they stagnate.”
The Santa Ana Fund is in the footsteps of nearby Anaheim, which created the Anaheim Contigo website last month to provide resources for families affected by immigration enforcement and provide emergency assistance grants through a partnership with the Anaheim Community Foundation.
During the meeting, council members also approved a motion to submit a record related to Santa Ana's recent ICE action and a resolution calling on members of Congress representing Orange County to advocate for the evacuation of immigration agents and the National Guard.
