‘It cannot be nothing’: Residents urge Indio leaders to enact stronger protections for families in fear of immigration enforcement

A half-mile peaceful march ended at the steps of Indio City Hall Wednesday evening, where protesters carrying signs set the stage for an hour-long public comment session that laid bare the fear currently gripping the city.

The demonstration and subsequent meeting followed a period of escalating tension in the Coachella Valley regarding federal immigration enforcement. 

Councilmember Oscar Ortiz early in the meeting detailed reports of human rights violations committed in the streets, like a young woman approached by masked, unidentified agents while walking out of her home and others taken to out-of-state detention centers.

“[A] family in our community simply missed their mail due to an issue with their mailing address. They were taken in during their court hearing and two days later were in a detention center in Texas,” he said.

“A mother and her two children. One of the children was part of our high school baseball team.”

Oritz requested that the city urgently make public spaces available to organizations like TODEC Legal Center for workshops, events, and meetings to allow the organization to save money typically spent on renting private spaces and redirect those funds toward direct legal aid for families.

Mayor Elaine Holmes told the room, “In accordance with California law, we don’t enforce federal immigration laws,” adding that “any cooperation is conducted within a legal framework”.

She emphasized that “fear should not be a part of our community at all by any means” and stated that the city and the Indio Police Department remain “absolutely committed” to the safety of all residents.

More than a dozen residents spoke at the meeting, many requesting specific tangible steps like declaring Indio a sanctuary city, while others simply wanted to know that their city representatives were listening.

“We need our local government to help restore trust,” said Gabriela Armenta, a community organizer and founder of Danza Azteca Citlaltonac. “I urge you to stand not only in solidarity but in action, so every family in our city knows they are valued, protected and not alone”.

Resident Jonathan Becerra told the council he had never been more terrified in his life. “I don’t know what solutions are to come of this today, but I know it can’t be nothing,” Becerra said. “See these people as not just voices in a room or constituents. See them as human beings as you are.”

Several speakers called for Indio to follow the lead of neighboring Coachella by declaring itself a sanctuary city. While California state law already prohibits local law enforcement from using city resources to aid federal immigration authorities, a sanctuary designation could provide additional local restrictions.

Speaker Ash Vega pointed to the city of Jurupa Valley as a potential model. That Riverside County city recently passed ordinances banning the staging of federal immigration vehicles on city-owned property and prohibiting masked or unidentified agents from conducting operations there.

The council has been divided on this issue, voting last month 3-2 to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for federal immigration enforcement data, with Holmes and councilmember Glenn Miller voting against the move.

City staff noted that there was nothing stopping the city from letting TODEC use its spaces for meetings, “it would just be a scheduling issue,” plus, because TODEC is a nonprofit they’re eligible for free use during regular hours. Beyond that, there was no action taken to introduce new ordinances for making Indio a sanctuary city.

As the session drew to a close, the sense of urgency remained. “I am here for those that couldn’t be here today because they were too scared to show up,” said Yasmin Espinoza, describing the sight of children left on the street after their parents were taken by agents. “Coachella Valley is under attack, and you’re not doing a damn thing about it”.

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