Divided Indio City Council votes to request federal immigration enforcement data

A divided Indio City Council voted Wednesday to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking details about ongoing arrests and detainments of Indio residents by federal immigration and law enforcement agencies.

The council voted 3-2 to direct the city attorney to submit the FOIA request to the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of the entire council, asking federal authorities for information including how many people were taken into custody, their legal status, and other details about enforcement operations in Indio throughout the year.

Councilmember Oscar Ortiz first proposed the idea last month, and said that the FOIA would carry more weight with the full City Council requesting the information, rather than just an individual councilmember or non-profit agency.

He made the decision to pursue a city-backed FOIA request after meeting with Border Patrol officers from the local Indio station who said a FOIA with the full heft of the city behind it would be more likely to garner a response.

Mayor Pro Tem Waymond Fermon submitted a FOIA request for information about local detainments as an individual three weeks ago and said he has not heard back. Councilmember Benjamin Guitron couldn’t get information from either of the valley’s congressional representatives.

In his previous life as a public information officer for the Indio Police Department, Guitron said he was all too familiar with the intricacies of these requests. “In 10 days if we don’t give you a reason, then we’re in trouble, because we’re supposed to give you a status,” he said. 

Several members of the community spoke up in favor of sending the FOIA request, including representatives of local organizations Comité Latino and TODEC who have been working directly with families who have been separated after a family member was detained or deported.

Councilmember Glenn Miller opposed the idea, saying it was outside of the city’s jurisdiction and could become a slippery slope, “Where do we stop? If we don’t like something the state’s doing, do we get involved as to the state?” he asked. “Our obligation is to the residents of the city of Indio.”

Miller and Mayor Elaine Holmes were in agreement, and also wondered what good the information would be to the city if they ever got it. “What action would you take once you got the information?” Miller asked. “If we’re not going to get engaged in doing something against the federal government, what action are you going to take, and who’s going to take the action?”

Right now, the city doesn’t have any hard data about the numbers of people detained, if they were wrongfully detained, and how the detainments have affected local businesses, schools, and other sectors. 

Ortiz said getting whatever information they can should be the council’s first priority, and they can’t make any decisions or take any action without knowing what exactly is going on in the city and to its residents. 

In the end, Guitron joined Ortiz and Fermon in approving a motion for a FOIA request from the full city council seeking information on immigration enforcement in the city during the 2025 calendar year.

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