HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 15 2026 - Item 9.4 - Andrew Siegler1
Stefan Mercer
From:Andrew Siegler <andrew.siegler@proton.me>
Sent:Friday, June 12, 2026 4:18 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
Cc:Kim Mancera; Matt Morley
Subject:EXTERNAL - Public Comment: Amicus Brief, No Staging Policy, Emergency Plan
Dear Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and City Councilmembers,
My name is Andrew Siegler, and I am a nearby resident and member of Showing Up for Racial Justice Santa Clara County.
Thank you for unanimously approving the resolution opposing the proposed ICE facility in Gilroy. City property should be used
for City purposes.
I'm writing to ask you to build on your resolution with three concrete protections:
1. Before the end of June, join the amicus brief being filed by the County of Monterey with the Public Rights Project.
The brief supports the lawsuit filed jointly by Santa Clara County and the California Attorney General on June 10. The
counties of Monterey and Alameda and the cities of San Jose and Alameda have already signed on, with more in
process. Gilroy belongs in this coalition.
2. Agendize a "No-Staging Zone" policy for your next Council meeting, prohibiting the use of City property--parking
lots, parks, and other City-owned or City-controlled land--for civil immigration enforcement staging and operations.
Gilroy can move quickly, as Campbell, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View did, by adapting the policies adopted by San
Jose (1/13/26) and Santa Clara (2/3/26). These were developed with thorough review by County Counsel and the San
Jose City Attorney, and have also been adopted by VTA and the Counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San
Francisco, and Alameda. Gilroy benefits from that legal groundwork.
3. Establish an emergency response plan so the City is prepared to protect public safety and support residents in the
event of a large-scale enforcement operation, using the San Jose and Santa Clara County models to strengthen Gilroy's
existing protocols.
This matters to me because the people I organize and live alongside–immigrant families, working people, folks just trying to get
through the day, the life and blood of the county's communities–are in grave peril. Gilroy has taken the first step in opposing the
facility, but that’s just a first step of many, and the three items above are the crucial next steps to truly oppose the construction
of a new ICE facility.
Though I live in San José, an ICE facility in Gilroy would put my neighbors here in the Washington-Guadalupe and Spartan-
Keyes neighborhoods further in harm’s way than they already are. As a matter of public safety–not just for Gilroy, but for the
region--we are counting on you to take the lead in protecting your constituents and the residents of your neighboring cities.
Beyond the immense human cost--families torn apart, children losing parents, neighbors living in fear--these protections matter
for our economy as well as our safety. A March 2026 report from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute found that mass
deportation could reduce regional economic output by as much as $67 billion annually. Gilroy's businesses depend on workers
and customers who will be driven away by fear and detention.
Gilroy is built by--and thrives because of--diverse immigrant and farmworker communities, and I stand in solidarity with them.
Thank you for your leadership, and for taking these next steps for the safety and well-being of our community.
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Respectfully,
Andrew Siegler (he/they)
Unceded Tamien & Muwekma Ohlone Land | San Jose, CA
Volunteer Organizer w/ Showing Up for Racial Justice Santa Clara County
(669) 220-8581
andrew.siegler@proton.me
Book a 1on1 with me!
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