HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 01 2026 - Item 7.9 - Jan Guffey1
Stefan Mercer
From:Jan Guffey <jantguffey@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, June 1, 2026 9:04 PM
To:City Clerk
Subject:EXTERNAL - 6.1.26 Public comment, agenda item 7.9
Hello Kim! Here are my full remarks regarding the ICE facility near Gilroy:
Hello! I live in Gilroy. These are the facts: Since our current president took office in January 2025, at
least 48 people have died in ICE detention facilities. The 2026 fiscal year, from Oct. 1, 2025, to Jan 19,
had the highest death rate in ICE facilities in 22 years. An article published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association study found that the recent increases in deaths were more indicative of
systemic weaknesses in medical care, mental health protection and mortality review than isolated
instances. Of the people booked into ICE custody this fiscal year, since October 1, 2025, nearly three in
four (73%) had no criminal convictions; nearly half had no criminal conviction nor even any pending
criminal charges; only 8 percent had a violent or property conviction.
My faith teaches me to respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Jesus said, "Love your
neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31) and "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and
sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40.
We know, nation-wide, that conditions inside these ICE facilities are inhumane - bad food, bad
sanitation, no adequate medical care, and the money for these facilities are going to for-profit
companies, with our tax dollars! I want No ICE facility built anywhere, much less near our own
community!
Thank you for voting to accept the consent declaration of 7.9.
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