The Richmond City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new sanctuary city ordinance that bans city personnel and resources from being used to assist federal immigration enforcement efforts.
There will be a second reading and final vote on the ordinance, which would go into effect 30 days later.
Richmond’s first sanctuary ordinance, which was passed in 1990, limits police and city employees from working directly with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and instructs staff to forward any ICE requests to the city manager or police chief and the city council.
A second ordinance, which was approved in 2018 during Trump’s first term, added a ban on contracting with data companies that work with ICE.
District 6 council member Claudia Jimenez, who worked with City Attorney Dave Aleshire’s office on the latest ordinance, said that it is the city’s response to “bullying” by the federal government.
“We are here saying that we are standing with the community and the most vulnerable to protect and do anything it takes by a local city to continue to stand by the immigrant community and any community that needs support. I think that’s what the government (should be) about,” she said.
Community members on Tuesday encouraged the council to consider adding additional protections such as establishing “safe zones” and auditing city data contracts.
Marisol Cantu, community organizer with Reimagine Richmond, a public safety reform group established after George Floyd’s death in 2020 that works with the city’s undocumented community, challenged the council to be courageous in light of what she deemed was a cautiously-worded ordinance.
“I think that our city attorneys were cautious right now and I think it’s time for us to be bold,” she said, adding that the ordinance should establish free speech protections for undocumented protestors, safe zones on all city-owned property and an audit of all the city’s data contractors to see if they are in compliance with the 2018 ordinance.
“Just as we saw (with police) in January asking for an exemption, how many other contractors are selling data (to ICE) actively that the city is using?” she added, referencing a January city council meeting during which the Richmond Police Department asked for an exemption so it could use LexisNexis software to make collision reports available for insurance companies. “There needs to be a thorough investigation and an audit of all of the companies that are used and complicit in not upholding the sanctuary city ordinance.”
Mayor Eduardo Martinez said that some suggested ordinance amendments were sent to him and other council members for consideration via email, so he amended the first reading of the ordinance to include asking staff to return with information about data sharing and safe zones.
Mayor’s office event
WHAT: Community event where the community can “stand together for social justice, celebrate diversity, and learn important constitutional rights.” There will be speeches, resources, and entertainment.
WHEN: March 15, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
WHERE: Richmond City Hall, 450 Civic Center Plaza
“This ordinance reflects Richmond’s values of inclusion, equality, and respect for the rights of all people,” Martinez said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. “We want to ensure that all residents, regardless of immigration status, feel safe accessing city services and reporting crimes without fear of deportation. The immigrant community is a vital part of our population, and this policy strengthens our commitment to public safety, constitutional rights, and responsible governance.
District 1 council member Jamelia Brown asked how the ordinance would potentially threaten federal grant funding the city receives — totaling $62.2 million.
“I want to acknowledge that fear is real but I also want to acknowledge that fear can be exploited,” she said. “My fear is that approving this ordinance with full knowledge that this ordinance can cause unintended financial and legal consequences is my only concern.”
Kimberly Chin, senior assistant city attorney, clarified that because the city already has existing sanctuary ordinances it’s already at risk of losing federal grants, although she said that during Trump’s first term the courts ruled in favor of sanctuary cities and said the president overstepped his authority by violating the “separation of powers.”
“The federal government has basically said that any jurisdiction that adopts what they consider sanctuary city policies — doesn’t have to be specifically this ordinance — will be at risk for loss of federal funds,” Chin said. “Adopting and enhancing upon those prior city protections doesn’t change the risk because the city of Richmond already has policies that protect the immigrant community.”
For District 3 council member Doria Robinson, the threat of Trump axing federal grants has hit close to home as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently suspended $19 million in federal grants, impacting Contra Costa County environmental projects in North Richmond. She said that because the Trump Administration is putting all departments and funds on the chopping block, not accepting the ordinance would not save the city from what Trump is doing.
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“I don’t think you can hide from a tyrant so that we make ourselves small enough that we won’t be seen.”
— Doria Robinson, Richmond City Council member
“We have a tyranny problem. That is something other than this particular threat around immigration. I don’t think you can hide from a tyrant so that we make ourselves small enough that we won’t be seen,” she said. “He’s coming and putting on pause so many grants across the board.”
Robinson said that even if the city retains all federal grants, the impact of losing thousands of federal workers fired by the current administration presents a situation that is unprecedented. According to the New York Times tracking of the layoffs, nearly 7,000 employees from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on leave or fired and another 1,315 Department of Education employees have been fired.
“We will still be affected by that,” she said. “This is a moment where we have to be creative and be courageous.”
