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Home My WebLink About06 01 2026 - Item 7.9 - Monica Teicher1 Stefan Mercer From:Monica Teicher <monicateicher@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, May 31, 2026 11:51 PM To:Public Comments; Mayor Greg Bozzo; Council Member Dion Bracco; Council Member Tom Cline; Council Member Terence Fugazzi; Council Member Zachary Hilton; Council Member Carol Marques; Council Member Kelly Ramirez Subject:EXTERNAL - Agenda Item 7.9 - Support for a resolution opposing the development of a federal detention facility in South Santa Clara County Dear Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and City Councilmembers, My name is Monica Teicher, and I am strongly advocating for the proposed resolution to oppose any ICE facility in Gilroy. I would also like you to agendize a “No staging zone” policy for your next City Council meeting on June 15. I consider it of utmost importance to demonstrate to the people in your community that you are actively working to protect them by prohibiting the use of city property for civil immigration enforcement. City property should be used for business strictly related to its operations or community services. We shouldn’t participate directly or indirectly in the violation of civil and human rights perpetrated by ICE personnel. We have countless examples of the many ways they are not following the rule of law or due process, and their continued refusal to abide by court rulings when they've lost lawsuits. This just cements the reality that until there’s major reform, they should not be allowed to operate here. This is not something we want associated with Gilroy. The following article by the Colorado Times Recorder reported that ICE is operating a network of 170 unofficial detention sites (information obtained by FOIA requests). Some are located in warehouses, strip malls, office parks, and ICE substations. They are not permitted to contain beds, and are NOT required to contain toilets. Even though in theory they should only detain people for up to 72 hours in these facilities, we know that data shows people are forced to stay in them for months at a time. https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2026/03/exclusive-ice-locks-thousands-including-kids-in-170-hold-rooms- nationwide-heres-where-they-are/77352/ With this article in mind, I implore you to act expediently and draft policies that prohibit ICE from using city property for civil immigration enforcement. What we don't outright refuse, we will condone in this current administration. Time is passing by, and we get closer and closer to submitting our community to further abuses. People are fighting to prevent ICE from building an Enforcement and Removal Operations center in Gilroy and potentially a concentration/incarceration camp in FCI Dublin. We need to make it clear to ICE that we are not going to participate in their atrocities. Gilroy should have policies that make it clear that ICE is not welcome here. I work with youth in my community, and I constantly hear how their families live in fear of a family member being taken away, and their inability to move freely in their communities. Asylum seekers who have submitted proper paperwork through the required channels are being detained at their check-ins unless legal observers from organizations like the Rapid Response Network accompany them in support. The community needs strong leadership from the City Council and City administration to both oppose those facilities and establish concrete protections. Gilroy needs to oppose this possible detention/processing facility because our families deserve peace of mind and support when this current administration promotes the dehumanization and persecution of black and brown immigrants by tearing families apart. We need CAUTION: This email originated from an External Source. Please use proper judgment and caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or responding to this email. 2 courageous local leadership willing to make a bold statement by standing firmly with our immigrant community and by opposing any ICE enforcement facility in our city. Continued ICE enforcement and facilities are also bad for tourism and business. I don’t think any people coming to participate in the FIFA World Cup events would want to visit Gilroy Gardens or come to our famed garlic festival if they think they will encounter any type of targeting or violence. Aside from that, lots of those working in the service industries are members of our immigrant communities. We need their labor to operate our local businesses; the community can’t thrive without them, and their loss will be felt across all sectors of our economy. I further urge you to agendize a “No-Staging” policy for June 15 because I do not want any City-owned or City- controlled property, such as public parks, public parking lots, garages, or buildings, to be used as a staging ground for immigration enforcement activity. Our tax-funded public property belongs to the people who live here, not to the agents demonizing immigrants. Our tax dollars should strengthen schools, hospitals, and safe neighborhoods - not tear our families apart. I do not want to see Gilroy controlled by untrained, armed ICE agents. We can’t forget that this City was built on the backs of our diverse immigrant and farmworker communities. We must pass and implement all possible protections to make Gilroy truly safe from the harms of indiscriminate immigration enforcement. Thank you for your bravery in taking action and creating a powerful resolution to publicly oppose any immigration detention facility in Gilroy and for your strong leadership that prioritizes the safety of our community. With gratitude, Mónica