HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 15 2026 - Public Comment - Elias Gonzalez1
Stefan Mercer
From:Elias Gonzales <egonzales@youthall.org>
Sent:Monday, June 15, 2026 12:52 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 Elias Gonzales, the Associate Director of Movement Building at Youth Alliance. I'd
like to thank you for unanimously approving the resolution opposing the proposed ICE facility
on unincorporated County land near Gilroy. I'm writing to ask you to build on your resolution
with three actions to provide critical 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. City property should be used for City and
community purposes. 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 models
from the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County to strengthen Gilroy's existing protocols.
This matters to me because as someone who has spent my life working alongside families in the
region, I have witnessed the lasting impact that family separation and the fear of detention can
have on our communities. Many immigrant families contribute immensely to our region yet live
with uncertainty about their future. We must continue to advocate for policies that respect human
dignity, keep families together whenever possible, and ensure transparency, accountability, and
humane treatment within our immigration system. Our community is strongest when every
resident is treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
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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 has been built by diverse immigrant and farmworker communities. Thank you for your
leadership, and for taking these next steps for the safety and well-being of our community.
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Elias Gonzales
Associate Director of Movement
Building
Office: (831) 636.2853︱Fax: (831)
636.2850
Cell: (831) 750.2687
egonzales@youthall.org
Youthall.org
310 4th St., Ste 101 Hollister, CA
95023
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