Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung opened the meeting on August 19, 2025.

Jung: I’m going to call on our city attorney before we go to public comments just to advise both the public that is in chambers. Those who are watching the comment period, including those for the closed session item and the general session.

Fullerton City Attorney Baron Bettenhausen: I understand there’s a lot of public interest in this closed session. I just wanted to clarify that the public comment period is now, and this is the time to discuss and submit your comments, not at the later regular meeting. Thank you.

Father Denis Kriz: We all got here early. I’m here with this flag as a prop and with a nice little dove on it, and it was made by a mother of one of our Latino families that our parish, yeah, to hear to speak in support of the city joining the Perdomo versus Noem court case. The flag idea came as we in the interfaith community here in Fullerton began to organize a peaceful expression of solidarity toward our immigrant community. One of the ideas that we had at the time was to organize a car caravan that would have passed through the city, beginning at Saint Philip and Easy. Passing by Grace International Church, the Fullerton Islamic Center, St. Mary’s, and various Protestant churches, including the First Christian Church, First Methodist Church, and First Lutheran Church, proceed to Saint Andrews Episcopal, St. Juliana, Temple Beth Tikvah, and Fullerton EV Free. It was beautiful. Even one day, maybe it’d be nice to walk it the other way, but wait, it’s a car caravan. And that was the idea with the flag. Yeah, you have to put it in the window, and it’s paper.

This is adorable, but we chose not to do that because it would have isolated us in our cars. But the idea was there, and it was to promote something peaceful. This mother of three teens, an immigrant herself, has American-born children. One child would often change the color of her hair, from orange to purple to Gray, back to orange again. And though they were all very proud of it. Their Latino and Catholic roots all helped with our posadas, our festival of the Saints.

Our Latino community doesn’t particularly like Halloween, which is interesting. They pray with their rosaries that they made themselves, and I helped them with that, actually, at our youth group, and then played on the beach a few years back. Their energetic mother is about as sweet as can be, trying to figure out a unifying, peaceful, and non-threatening car caravan. Lora then came up with this idea [of the peace flag]. This is my point we have a lot of lovely people in this city, from adorable and adored smiling grandma’s that are energetic to energetic parents building things, selling things, cleaning things with a clipboard in hand or behind a computer, running things every week and changing teenagers to smaller kids trying to figure out how to kick either a soccer ball or a baseball.

All of them are here, finally, and it is important that we understand that we do not know who they are taking. They arrested a young man who was tattooed from top to bottom. He looked exactly like the guy you would think should be taken away, but during prayer, when we got to “Our Father,” he joined in enthusiastically, and his mother adores him. So please listen, we never know who people really are inside, so let us follow the rule of law.

Pastor Jason Phillips: I’ve lived and been a pastor here in Fullerton for over 30 years with my wife, who’s a teacher here at Valencia Park for almost as long. And I want to invite you to live into a vision for our city. And Councilors, thank you so much for listening to us today. I want to invite you to help bring a vision for our city to life. Fullerton is our home, and it’s a place of belonging for all of our immigrant neighbors. Home is where you’re known, where your story matters, where your presence is not just tolerated but cherished. It means safety. Home is a place of healing and flourishing. But too many of our neighbors do not experience this kind of home. Instead of safety, they live in terror of masked agents who appear without warning.

Instead of trust, they live with the dread that any knock on the door could be separation, detention, or deportation. My wife’s students are afraid that their parents or family members may not be home when they get out of school. They’re afraid that agents will come into the school. And this is not the 4:10 we long for. This is why Perdomo versus Noem matters. It’s not only about the law. It’s about love. It’s about protecting our civil rights, rebuilding trust, and saying no to fear and yes to belonging. I know that we have some council members here who already support this, and I thank you so much for putting this on the agenda.

I invite all of our council to live into a vision of our city. Where we stand alongside all of our neighbors and say that you matter, that we see you, and you’re not alone. And so Fullerton has the chance to say something tonight, to speak clearly in our home, no one is hidden behind a mask. A family is disposable, and every neighbor. It is valued because Fullerton is our home, and it’s a place of belonging for all our immigrant neighbors. And I ask you just to reflect on what home is for you and what belonging means to you and the moments that you have felt bothered and unseen and unheard like you didn’t. And then stand alongside those who feel that right now.

Debbie Langenbacher: I’m a 25-year resident of Fullerton, and I’m here with congregants from the Unitarian Universalist congregation, which is based in Fullerton. Universalists, our first principle is the inherent worth and dignity of all people. This intrinsic worth and dignity of all people includes immigrants among us, regardless of their status, and everybody in this room, including all of you on the council.

We support Fullerton and join our sister cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and others in signing on to the Perdomo versus No lawsuit. Recognizing that the abduction of people believed to be immigrants based on their appearance by ICE is not justice. It is our understanding that there is no direct fiscal impact for Fullerton. Limiting the overreach of ICE in our city would benefit each of our districts. District 1 includes a large Asian population who are also targeted by services.

Last week, the news featured a story about a young Korean woman in New York. Here legally, but was abducted by ICE and held in their detention. Only with extraordinary efforts was she returned to her family in District 2. There was an ICE raid last month at a car wash. Start small businesses throughout Fullerton. Artists are vulnerable in District 3. State University, Fullerton was the first Dreamer Resource Center in the state for students. Districts four and five include many of our Latino neighbors. They are being targeted the most by ICE in recent weeks. School has just started in Fullerton, but families are fearful of sending their children to school because of the threat of family separation due to ICE activity.

Support for this litigation Perdomo versus Noem benefits everyone in Fullerton. We want ICE out of our city and respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all who call Fullerton their home.

A Fullerton resident: It isn’t very comforting to see that things are going on. For instance, the other day, a girl was late to my daughter’s, which really upset me because it could have been one of my daughters. I started crying, thinking about all the kids and the woods part of our family, even though we don’t know each other. We have to take care of each other. It’s sad to see that. I go to this Community Center. There are a lot of people who go there for different activities, and now it’s fewer than 50 people coming for activities, food distribution, and similar things.

There are people who don’t want to go out because they’re afraid, and I know people who’re close to me who are like that. They’re going to be sick. Because they don’t want their kids out on the street thinking that they’re going to get taken away. They can’t go to their houses because they’re hesitant to come out or open the door to us, which is why they’re reluctant to tell us who we are. That’s the only way they could open the door and get their groceries or medications or anything like that. So it’s just concerned about all this.

Help us with all this that’s going on against the Community. We are the salt of this Community. This is just so sad to see. They’re not doing what they’re supposed to do and respect people. It’s not good for anyone.

Speaker: I’m here tonight to urge the council to sign on to the lawsuit of Perdomo versus Noem. This class action lawsuit is vital to ongoing efforts to protect our immigrant community. Lawsuit seeks to stop the unconstitutional violations of the 4th Amendment. The ICE agents and the Department of Homeland Security. As of the 2020 census, more than 1/3 of Fullerton residents identified as Hispanic or Latino. That means that one in three people living in this city is at risk of being racially profiled by their government every time they step outside. It’s more specifically to the points I want to address tonight. I understand that the council has the authority to discuss this in closed session, but I believe the California Government Code does not mandate that such discussions must be held in closed session.

In fact, in 2018, the council. Considered a very similar item when they wanted to sign on to a Department of Justice class action lawsuit against California’s sanctuary city laws. I understand that none of you were on council at that time, but I also understand that discussions went late into the night, and the public came out to speak out against it despite the council’s intention to sign on. That lawsuit? As I mentioned seven years ago, the community strongly opposed that lawsuit after a lengthy public comment period, and this matter remains a vital public interest. The public deserves to have their voices heard, regardless of the council’s willingness to listen. In 2018, our residents expressed concern that we were siding with our immigrant community.

The council members who chose to discuss this in closed session are intent on protecting themselves from potential political repercussions, as they do not want the public to hear these discussions. This is ultimately a question of how we treat our neighbors. Each of the events that has been given a position of authority and power, and with that authority comes a genuine moral responsibility. You must protect your constituents. Signing on to Perdomo versus Noem is a direct step in protecting 1/3 of the city from unconstitutional discrimination by their government.

If you can’t put your name on that, I don’t believe that any of you has any business anywhere near a position of authority. If you’re content to see people in this community targeted by the federal government based on the color of their skin or the language they’re speaking or the job that they have, then you can at least put your name next to your vote.

Xavier: I’m here on behalf of Cal State Fullerton’s College Democrat chapter to urge the city of Fullerton to sign on to prepare for the limo versus Norm. I’m not going to speak too much. People who are far more eloquent than I have already spoken and will be speaking later tonight with many. Good points and sound logic. Rather, I want to remind the council who exactly is being stolen from our streets. These are not strangers. These are our brothers and sisters here in Fullerton. They are not our enemies. They are our family. And friends, signing on to this lawsuit would say that you are committed to representing your constituents, all of them, and to defending their rights and their dignity as human beings. So please sign on to this lawsuit and protect our community.

Peyton: I’m a student here at Fullerton College, and I’m here tonight to urge the City Council to take a stand to support the case Adorama versus Noah. As a student, I’ve seen firsthand how these policies affect my peers, many of my classmates. They should focus on getting their education, not worry about whether their families or themselves might be targeted on their way to class. No student should have to go to school. Scare. Fullerton College prides itself on being welcoming, inclusive, and institutional, and our city should reflect those same values.

Julian: I live in Fullerton, and many other people here do as well. This summer, as we’ve seen ICE patrolling and harassing our city, there have been reports of harassment and false accusations by ICE within Orange County. This item is rightfully on the agenda, as it is a pressing issue within our community. It is appalling that this issue is not being discussed in an open session. Why do you not vote on this in open session? Are you too scared to vote against this item because you will be criticized? If so, you’re on the wrong side. You have said you would protect this community, so signing on to this lawsuit does just that. No matter the ruling of the item, you’re inability to vote in front of the public is a gross lack of transparency.

Jennifer Garcia: I serve as the pastor of First Lutheran Church on Lemon and Wilshire, which is in District 5. I currently live in La Mirada, but I grew up in Fullerton in District 4, where my parents still live. I lived in District One for a while. I graduated from Fullerton. The school, located in District 2, is where my mom and my spouse both graduated from Cal State Fullerton, which is in District 3. I still very much consider Fullerton my home. The Fullerton I know and love is a place of belonging for everyone. Fullerton has a rich arts community. And the residents, including immigrants of all documentation statuses, are part of a mosaic, much like these beautiful mosaics on their walls. That brings life and vibrancy to the Fullerton community. When anyone in our community is afraid, vulnerable, or marginalized, it dims the vibrancy of the Fullerton community. Right now, our immigrant neighbors are being targeted. People are afraid to go to their workplaces, their schools, and even their local grocery stores. People are afraid of getting taken by masked, unaccountable federal agents. Today, honored Council members, you have the opportunity to make all of us feel like we belong by joining the Perdomo vs. Noem lawsuit. By supporting our immigrant neighbors, you are helping Fullerton recognize its identity as a place of belonging for all, and, by extension, for everyone. I urge you, as our City Council, to sign on to Perdomo vs. Noem. The mosaic of our community is only whole when every neighbor belongs. Fullerton is our home.

Laura Manchester Cook: I’ve lived in Fullerton District 5 for more than five years. I’m a local PTA member, a small business owner, and my spouse has taught at Fullerton College for nearly a decade. I’m here tonight because in recent months, ICE and DHS agents have been unlawfully kidnapping our neighbors, often in masks, frequently refusing to show a warrant. And I want to be clear about what that means for all of us here in Fullerton, even myself and my family in the same city where we celebrate bike parades and town music days and small town charm, families are now afraid to leave their homes for school, for work, for the grocery store, for the doctor. They’re afraid they’ll be torn away from their lives and locked in detention camps. Because of this, many kids in our community who spent this summer in lockdown conditions, you know, the phase of the pandemic when being bored in the house was trending online. That’s how they spent their summer, instead of at the park or reading at the library. Some people have lost days or weeks of income. Some have lost their jobs. Some that I know support organizations. Mutual aid groups are stretched to the breaking point, scrambling to provide food, medical care, and legal support to these families. I want to share one story. A few weeks ago, a close friend of mine called me in a panic because Ice was at her cousin’s workplace here in Fullerton, and I lived only four minutes away. She was scrambling to get her baby and her six-year-old into the car and get over there to help. I said no, I got this. I was about to get on a work Zoom, but I cancelled it and ran out the door with dripping wet hair because I had just gotten out of the shower. My friends met me there, and we spent the next hour and a half ensuring the people who worked at this small business in Fullerton could leave. They shift, walk to their cars, and make it home to their families safely. That’s just one story, and we don’t get to choose. When calls come in, those of us involved in rapid response take care of our neighbors. We drop everything – work, kids, daily life – because our neighbors are in danger and afraid, and we want to help them feel safe. This is not the American Dream. This is not freedom for all. And it’s certainly not upholding the values of the education community as Fullerton claims to be. Since I know, though, from past meetings that the city council’s main concern is typically budget, let’s talk dollars. Immigrants are taxpayers. They work at our local businesses. They shop at our local stores. They eat in our restaurants and enrich the abundant cultural, educational, and entertainment resources that Fullerton boasts about on its website. When people are kidnapped off our streets, businesses lose employees, shops lose customers, and our local economy suffers. Joining this lawsuit is urgent. It’s urgent because it’s not just about today. It’s about keeping Fullerton safe and prosperous for generations to come. So I urge you to sign on to Perdomo versus Noem and pass an ordinance requiring. Agents to identify themselves where cameras are, remove masks, and allocate funding for mutual aid and legal aid for our neighbors. If your priority is human.

Vanessa Estrella: I have been a Fullerton resident for over 20 years. Fullerton is more than just the city; it is our home. It’s where families from all walks of life work hard, raise children, and contribute to the culture that makes our community unique. For many of our immigrants, our immigrant neighbors, Fullerton is where they’ve built their lives. And yet today they live under the constant fear of racial discrimination and deportation. As a Fullerton school district trustee, I see the impact of this fear every single day. This year, we began school with at least 13 families who have reported that they have already left the United States entirely. These are children who no longer walk into our classrooms. Children who should be there learning, laughing, and growing with their peers. Over the summer, when ice raids intensified, families were too afraid to send their children to summer school or even go to the grocery store. Our district had to step in alongside faith organizations, mutual aid groups, and nonprofits to bring food and necessities to their homes. You told me they were afraid their parents might not be home when they returned. They imagined a child caring with that kind of fear. This is not an isolated issue, county-wide. There are about 200,000 undocumented residents in Orange County, most of them who have lived here for more than a decade. The vast majority of us are raising US children and contributing to our economy. Immigrants in Orange County contribute over $37 billion annually in spending power and pay billions in state and local taxes. And yet, according to the Deportation Data Project. 92% of these detainees have no violent criminal convictions. These are not dangerous people. These are families, mothers, fathers, and children. When they are threatened, we don’t just lose neighbors, we lose the stability in our schools, the strength of our economy and the trust. That makes sense, the great Fullerton community that we are. That’s why I’m urging you tonight to use your power as City Council members to join cities across the country and support the federal lawsuit Perdomo versus Norm, which challenges unconstitutional and unaccountable enforcement practices by ICE. We don’t want people in our community. To be stopped, questioned, or detained by ICE just because of the color of their skin and that kind of racial profiling has no place anywhere, especially in Fullerton. This action is more than policy. This is about who we are, as Fullerton, a city that chooses compassion over fear. Indignity over division. A city that tells every child, no matter where their parents were born, you belong here. You are safe and your future matters.

Patricia Hanzo: I am a resident of Fullerton. We’re a family of three and we want the city of Fullerton to join with other cities or do a separate lawsuit against the federal agencies under Christie. Home the Department of Justice houses ICE and Homeland Security please also include other departments which are sharing information about our residents, about us, our names, our home addresses, our records like the Department of Health and Human Services, all these. Federal agencies should follow the actual law, so please approve a lawsuit from the City of Fullerton demanding that they follow the actual law and not conduct random actions using racial profiling, an orthodox tactics, brutal force, or the tackling down of our residents. The city must denounce, including the city manager, our Police Department, our fire departments, and the lawyer. The city must announce the abuse of power by the federal government and demand law and order so that our communities, parks, city libraries, and streets are safe. Homes, schools, churches, and both small and medium-sized businesses can be safe and thrive. You should mitigate the harm.

Inaction is unacceptable. Bending the knee goes against the principles of civil rights, due process, and the Declaration of Independence. In the US Constitution, residents need transparency, their Miranda rights, and that a warrant be shown when confronted by law enforcement at all levels of government. If we expect our PD to do that, we should expect it from the federal government and the states. Please direct the city manager. Our city contracted a lobby firm and legal counsel to sign on to this legal action immediately. If you don’t want to do that, initiate a separate lawsuit. But you have to act as a city, please, please request that the federal government abide by laws in our state and our cities. Residents of Fullerton must call and regularly demand that our City Manager and council members show that they have a spine, take legal action, request that our cities stand up against abuse of power, unlawful searches, physical violence, and unnecessary action. Everyone is watching tonight. Please denounce the discriminatory practices, policies, and directives from federal agencies and this awful White House. Please be strong. We are with you. We are with immigrants. Migration is normal.

Mrs. Stricker:  For the past 20 years, I’ve been part of a Latino immigrant community here in Fullerton. I’ve lived, worked, and raised my family in this neighborhood. My neighbors had no reason to trust me when I moved in. I don’t look like them or sound like them. I come from a different place. I was a stranger to them. But they welcomed me into their community and their homes. They’ve invited me to continue eras and graduations. They fed me beauty, a pupusas, and tamales. They’ve offered me aguas frescas and champorado. They showered me with gifts when I was pregnant with my daughter. They babysat my kids. They’ve called me. Family. These are the people who are being targeted by the immigration raids. The administration wants you to believe that they’re detaining and deporting dangerous criminals. But we know that the vast majority of people who are being rounded up, abducted from the streets, and torn from their families are people with no criminal record.

We want to have a chance at life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Like the rest of us, they are people who work hard and give generously. They make our communities better and more beautiful with their love, wisdom, and creativity. My immigrant neighbors are scared right now. They’re faced with a choice to risk deportation if they go to work. There’s more risk, food, housing, and security if they stay home. You have known what it’s like to hide in the shadows for years, but what’s happening right now is a new level of threat. These immigration rates do not make our community safer. They do not make America greater. They only serve to instill fear, to stir up division, and to dehumanize people made in the image of God. They are ripping families and our community apart. They are creating chaos and instability for the systems that support us all. I ask you to stand with our immigrant neighbors by joining the lawsuit Perdomo versus Gnome. Let us join with cities around Orange County and the nation to declare that all our neighbors are worthy of dignity: safety and inclusion.

Matthew Stricker: I’ve called Fullerton home for over 30 years. I’ve spent nearly 15 years residing in one of Fullerton’s immigrant communities. In that time, I experienced a community of people who welcomed my family and me into their neighborhood with open arms as a person who, quite frankly, looks like the people who oppress. My friends and neighbors and the immigrant community. My neighbors consistently showed my family kindness, cooked food for us, invited us into celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and quinceañeras, offered gifts when we had babies, and were the primary friends whom we trusted to watch our kids when we needed babysitters. My point is that my immigrant neighbors, most of whom came to our country from other countries. South of our southern border are not the criminals that the current administration wrongfully and harmfully portrays them to be.

The hard-working, dedicated, and important members of our society who helped to make Fullerton what it is. A beautiful community of people from all over the world that creates an atmosphere of inclusivity and cultural diversity. That makes us all better, more accepting, and more loving people. It breaks my heart that I feel the need to speak up to validate or even justify the very existence of actual human beings in our present presence, especially in a country that’s supposed to be a shining example of freedom and liberty.

That’s why I’m here today to ask the council to join cities across the country in supporting the federal lawsuit Perdomo versus Noem. Our immigrant friends are scared. You are the elected City Council. We count on you to keep all Fullertonians safe, no matter what we look like or where we come from. The constitutional protections that the current administration is purposefully violating have no place in our city. Protections, by the way, that are for all who reside in the United States. Please protect our friends and neighbors. Fear of our own government has no place in Fullerton.

Gaston: I’m hoping that you will make a statement today by participating in supporting the legal action against these ICE raids, which have done nothing for public safety and have only served to destroy lives, separate families, and cause fear and trauma in our own Fullerton community. These are our neighbors. The argument for law and order and these so-called enforcement efforts are dripping with hypocrisy. You don’t have undocumented workers without American employers willing to hire them. 11,000,000 workers. We as a society are complicit in this. We are equally culpable in breaking these immigration laws. Why? Because we are happy to exploit this low-cost labor. And now, after decades, we have this attack of righteous indignation. This is yet another facet of cruel and racist federal policies.

Of course, we understand that you don’t have the power to force the City Council to halt ICE raids, but you can lend your voice. You can stand with your residence and you can show that you represent all of them, not just the ones that look like you or go to your same church. Consider this. We have had no comprehensive immigration reform for 40 years. Think about how much has changed in four decades. Our country has refused time and again to end the sham by legalizing these folks. But that didn’t stop American businesses from hiring and giving immigrants bank accounts and insurance policies because, hey, they’re customers and this is America.

Many immigrants have paid taxes into Social Security for years, but they will never receive those benefits. And now we have these ICE raids, which a federal judge. Was deemed illegal. That hasn’t stopped warrantless arrests. It has accelerated them. I guess that part of law and order really isn’t so important. These ICE raids are un-American, unconstitutional, and with every move and with every arrest. These ICE agents are violating laws they swear to uphold. They have disgraced themselves, the uniform and the badge they wear. We need to speak up against it, and I’m asking you to do that tonight.

Megan Cho: I have lived in Fullerton for a total of 17 years. I currently reside in District 2, but for the majority of my years, I lived and worked in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood in District 5. I was married here. I’m part of One Life City Church here, and my children attend Fullerton Public Schools. Fullerton is my home, and Fullerton is our home. It’s a place of belonging for all our immigrant neighbors. When I think about the way Fullerton is home, I recall a time shopping at Costco when a young Latino man behind the sample counter handed my Korean husband a sample and greeted him in Korean. After smiling, my husband responded by greeting him. In Spanish, it’s these little moments when folks experience being seen by one another and warmth that I’m reminded of what makes Fullerton special.

Living in an immigrant community in Fullerton, specifically during a time when I was young and single and away from family, taught me what it means to be a good neighbor. I had neighbors who passed lemons over the fence and shared tamales during the holidays. I had neighbors who let me know they had closed my garage after I left, which I had forgotten to do. I had neighbors who even helped me get a new set of tires after I drove over a nail in the alley. I attended birthday parties in Kenya, including long-awaited green card arrival parties and becoming a citizen celebrations. Some of those memories will be among my most cherished.

Among this community, I learned people’s stories, all of which are complex, filled with equal parts pain and hope. And I witness determination, resourcefulness, endless hours of hard work, generosity, and resilience. But I’m here because our community is only whole when every neighbor belongs, especially those who are. Most targeted and vulnerable. In the past few months, parts of our Fullerton community have been living in absolute terror. Legitimately so. As a member of the local OC Rapid Response Network, I’ve written it.

I’ve witnessed firsthand how the actions of DHS and immigration enforcement are traumatizing our city. I recently met a fruit vendor in his 70s who smiled with pride, telling me about the journey of starting his own licensed business and which storefronts were the best for business over the years. But our conversations slowly turned sad as his eyes filled with tears, explaining that he is afraid to continue under the threat of ICE raids, which may profile him because of the work he does and the language he speaks. He’s being careful, but he needs to work to. Report his granddaughter.

I accompanied one of our Fullerton School District junior hires and her mom to the courthouse for an unexpectedly scheduled check-in. Although we didn’t exchange a lot of words, it was clear that she was consumed by fear of the unknown, of what might happen to her mother. This is what our Fullerton students are facing. As car washes became known targets for raids, I observed the hand. Car wash closest to my home roped off and closed for several days in a row. The fear has led to a decline in what was otherwise a thriving business, and now family providers are without work. I’m aware that the safety of people I love and care about has already been violated. I’m terrified of what might be in our future if we don’t do something about it. Our children are watching to see how we’ll respond. Will we speak up on their behalf?

Ellie Chang: I am one of the pastors at One Life City Church. I am a proud Fulton resident. My wife and I bought our first home here 12 years ago. All three of my children were born here. They all go to school. Here, and Lord willing, my wife and I will retire here and play pickleball at the new tennis courts in the Tennis Center and maybe walk along the Union Pacific Trail. Fulton is our home. It is a place of belonging, including many immigrant families, our neighbors, coworkers and friends, often even our own relatives. They make our community stronger, more creative, more connected. They are a vital part of what makes Fullerton such a special place to live. And then you look at the burger chain Lotteria as an example. But right now many of our immigrant neighbors, especially our Latino hermanos y hermanas, are living in fear. Fear of unjust, afraid to stimulation of deportation. This is not the kind of city we want to be known as. Fulton should be a place where everyone. You’re safe and where everyone belongs.

This is why I’m asking you to consider Perdomo versus Noem. This case challenges unconstitutional, unaccountable, and inhumane enforcement practices. By signing on, Fullerton would be standing side by side with our neighbors, affirming their commitments to dignity, affirming your commitment. To their dignity, safety, and inclusion for everyone who calls our city home, but the sense of dignity, safety, and inclusion is under threat, and these are not criminals, right, these are everyday, normal, kind, respectful citizens, people created in the image of God, and who are part of our wonderful community.

My 8-year-old daughter wrote a letter to one of her friends who was moving. They were self-deporting. She wrote this letter in tears, asking, “Can you please write back when you get settled in?” I remember earlier in the summer, dropping off a bag of groceries to a family. They just live just around the corner from where my kids go to school. And she was so thankful. She just happened to be a believer. And we talk about our faith together. There’s a neighbor just across the street from our church. Their family has helped our church. Hooking us up with party tents, tables, chairs, and then bounce houses. Our kids love that stuff. You know, they’re older daughters were taken by ice over the summer. Now they’re planning to move from our neighborhood. Stories like this remind me that this isn’t just an issue happening elsewhere. It’s happening here in our community, in our schools and in our streets. Please join Perdomo vs Noem.

Harry Langenbacher: I’ve lived in Fullerton for 25 years, and I’m here with my friends from the Unitarian Universalist Church, where I go to church and other congregations. I also know people from different organizations in Fullerton who are asking you to support the lawsuit, which is on agenda item number one.

When the police act as if they are above the law, it can only lead to negative consequences. The City Council must protect the residents of the city. And to see for their well-being. I’ve heard many stories of illegal activities by ICE, such as warrantless arrest, targeting businesses, racial profiling, and I believe that the majority. Not all the residents of Fullerton are as white as I am, and they’re all threatened with being terrorized by armed, masked agents, and I believe it’s your duty to do what you can to stop this. Nothing good can come of it. It is making Fullerton a more dangerous place to live for everybody.

Nan Harold: I live in District 4, and there’s already been a lot of words said about the impact of these ice rates on our community from just a basic human level. I’ve seen it myself, and the reduction of vibrancy and our communities, where I have friends who come in from out of town, and they help to do laundry. For people who need it at a laundromat, and they said that the numbers are down by like 50%, the number of people who will come out and obtain these services. And we know that a lot of them can’t afford it. So we’re starting to brainstorm ways, like how do we deliver or do their laundry for them?

How do we support members of our community? So I really urge you to consider signing on to this lawsuit, Perdomo versus Noem, because it is a reflection of our city’s values on how we value the people that live within our cities, how we value the people that, regardless of documentation status, are our friends and neighbors. Furthermore, it does establish a precedent. Suppose we’re not willing to sign on to a lawsuit that challenges what is very basically an egregious civil rights violation and very blatantly a violation of the 4th Amendment. In that case, I can’t imagine anything more un-American than to violate the Constitution in such a manner. Vote in a way that does not support, as I think it very much reflects on each of the council members’ values as well as our city as a whole.

Jodi Vallejo: I’m a professor at USC. I’m also an immigration expert and I live here in Fullerton in District 2. And I wanted to provide some context and facts to you. Real data about immigration, what’s happening in our city and our state, and the broader issues that we are experiencing in the hopes of informing your discussion. And so one of the things that some of my fellow residents here have alluded to is that in this very moment, immigration is literally the litmus test. For our democracy, over the past several months, I have been on the ground. I’ve been conducting legal observations, gathering data, and conducting research. I’ve been working alongside schools and businesses that are reeling from these disruptions. And one of the things that you should be aware of, which is no surprise, but there’s been a dramatic. Shifts and enforcement under the current administration have led to the rescission of protections for sensitive locations, including schools, courthouses, and hospitals.

One of the things I’m very concerned about that greatly affects our city more broadly is that the military is being turned inward on us through the excuse of immigration. This is an extreme violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement. This is something that our nation’s founders warned against and these unreachable daily quotas have led to really inhumane, illegal and unconstitutional actions against our community members that violate the 4th Amendment of the Constitution.

As a result, Immigration arrests have tripled, the detention regime in this country has reached historic ties and 92% of those who have been detained, 92% have no violent criminal conviction. So locally, this creates deep challenges for us as Trustee Australia mentioned 200,000 undocumented people live in California, most who’ve lived here 10 years or longer, they are connected to families, to American-born citizens, people who are legal permanent residents. And this just is not a Latino issue at 25% of undocumented people in California are Asian and Asians are the fastest growing segment of the undocumented population and they will be targeted next.

They’re already being targeted in Little Saigon. These actions we have seen this summer have left children without parents and business owners in turmoil. They have pushed children out of school and into the underground labor market in our city, which will greatly affect the fiscal security and future. Neither our city nor the broader public agrees with what is happening before our eyes. A July Gallup poll found that a record high 79% of Americans now say that immigration is good for the country, and 62% disapprove and are in opposition to Trump’s enforcement measures. So the public is overwhelmingly on the side of democracy. And I hope that you are too.

Egleth Nuncci – speaking in Spanish: Me llamo Egleth Nuncci y resido en Fullerton. Llevo muchos años aquí y soy una residente muy orgullosa de la ciudad. Vine a la ciudad, soy boliviana, buscando un sueño mejor: el sueño americano. También me dirijo a mi comunidad, la comunidad hispanohablante, que también tiene miedo de hablar su idioma, el de sus países, y prioriza su herencia. Me entristece mucho la situación actual. Nuestra comunidad está siendo perseguida. Nuestras familias están siendo separadas. Estamos divididos. Y estoy aquí para pedirles su apoyo. Somos, ustedes son seres humanos. Todos somos seres humanos. Somos vecinos y ustedes son funcionarios electos. Les pido su apoyo para que podamos prevalecer en la justicia, para que podamos prevalecer en los valores de este país, esta nación, y para protegernos. Hablo en español porque no es pecado, no es un delito hablar dos idiomas. Especialmente, hemos luchado en las escuelas para que se puedan hablar dos idiomas: inglés, español y coreano, para que podamos validar nuestras lenguas y nuestra herencia. Y quiero enfatizar que nuestra comunidad está siendo perseguida. No queremos que nuestra comunidad sea perseguida.

No queremos que nuestros hijos teman que les arrebaten a sus padres, especialmente después de tener que vivir y superar una pandemia. Y ahora temen ser separados de sus familias y padres debido a la anarquía. Por eso, estoy aquí para pedirles una vez más que por favor emprendan acciones legales y se unan a Perdomo contra Noem. Necesitamos que se defiendan nuestros valores. Lo necesitamos; no podemos arriesgarlo. No podemos arriesgar nuestro futuro. Y no quiero complicarle las cosas a nuestro traductor. Permítanme decirles algo: unidos, resistimos, divididos, caemos. Muchas gracias por su tiempo. Espero que tomen la decisión correcta de apoyar a la comunidad. Ellos los pusieron en esta situación. Por favor, ayúdennos a hacer lo correcto. Acudo a ustedes como padre, como ser humano. Por favor, ayúdennos a hacer lo correcto para nuestra comunidad aquí en Fullerton y para todo Estados Unidos. Estados Unidos es un ejemplo para el resto del mundo. Comencemos aquí en Fullerton, haciendo lo correcto.

Egleth Nuncci – translated: My name is Egleth Nuncci and I’m a resident here at Fullerton. I have been here many years and I’m a very proud resident of the city. I came to the city and I am Bolivian and I came to the city and searched for a better dream, an American dream. I’m also addressing my community, who are the Spanish-speaking community, who are also afraid of speaking their own language from their own countries. And prioritize their heritage. I am very saddened of the current situation. Our community is being persecuted. Our families are being separated. We are torn. And I’m here to ask for your support. We are, you guys are human beings. We are all human beings. We are neighbors and you guys are elected officials. I do ask for your support so we can prevail in justice, so we can prevail in our values of this country, this nation, and to protect us. I’m speaking in Spanish because it’s not a sin, it’s not a crime to speak two languages.

Especially, we have fought for in schools, so that two languages can be spoken, English, Spanish, and Korean, so that we can validate our languages and our heritage. And I want to stress the fact that our community is being persecuted. We don’t want our community to be persecuted. We don’t want our children to be in fear of having their parents taken away, especially after having to live and overcome a pandemic. And now they are fearful to be separated from their families and their parents due to lawlessness. And so I’m here to ask you once again to please take legal action and join Perdomo versus Noem. We need our values to be defended. We need to; we cannot risk this. We cannot risk our future. And I don’t want to make it harder for our translator. Let me tell you something. We united, we stand divided we fall. Thank you so much for your time. I hope you make the right decision to support the community. They put you in this position. Please help us to do what is right. I go to you as a parent, as a human being. Please help us to do what is right for our community here in Fullerton and all of America. The United States is an example for the rest of the world. Let’s start here in Fullerton, doing what is right.

Bethany Anderson: I’m here to urge you to sign on to the before mentioned lawsuits I’ve been a resident of. Fullerton for over 20 years. I’m the Executive Director of Solidarity, A nonprofit embedded in some of the most vulnerable immigrant neighborhoods in our city. I’m a volunteer with the OC Rapid Response Network. Additionally, I am an expert and practitioner of immigration law. Due to my role in the community, I can stand here for much longer than 3 minutes to share about the beauty of the immigrant. Community in our city and also the terror caused by this administration and ICE activity here.

I can tell you story after story of the contributions of immigrants to our city, our state and our country. I can speak with authority about how this administration is decimating our legal immigration system and targeting non criminals. Children, students and victims of domestic violence. The most vulnerable of the immigrant population. I can tell you about the times that we have organized and chased ICE out of our city, or the ways that we have cared for community members after their family has been disappeared. Many of us here can share these stories for hours and hours. And many have already done that tonight. But really, the one thing I want to add to this conversation is a call and a reminder of the significance of this moment. We all know, no matter what your opinion is, we all know that history will not reflect kindly on this season of our country.

And my question, my question to you is in five, 1020 years from now, when these stories are written in our history books and we remember the unlawful and terrible acts of our federal government, how will you feel? Will you feel pride? Because you did the right thing? Or will you feel shame because you were complicit? Tonight, you have a choice to make, and I guarantee you that this choice matters. It matters because we will all have to live with the choices that we are making now and the way we are responding now for the rest of our lives. I urge you to join us on the right side of history. Leave a legacy of leadership by joining this lawsuit. And if that does not convince you, let me leave you with this. That I believe wholeheartedly if we do not do all that we can to stop what is happening in our communities now. Today it’s brown people with brown skin that look like immigrants. And tomorrow it’ll be you.

Janeth Shipman: I was not planning on speaking today because as you can tell, I’m really nervous and this is really close to home. Not only because I’m a Hispanic, but because I too, once was a very vulnerable immigrant in the US. Luckily for me, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. But I still have neighbors, friends and family members who do have to worry about that, who are hiding. Who, um, have anxiety attacks because of what’s going on in our town? When I first started working here in Fullerton, I noticed what a beautiful town it was. How calm and peaceful it was, how clean it was. And this is where I wanted to raise my family. And yes, we moved here. We purchased our home here seven years ago. My, both of my children were born here at Saint Jude. They go to school. I loved that this was a town that was inclusive. The town that offered our children the chance to learn another language such as Spanish, Korean and many others. And I love how diverse it was. And that is what I loved about Fullerton.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel scared even though I have nothing. To be scared about but I’m brown and in this in this climate being brown is not safe anymore unfortunately. So sorry I’m really nervous but my question is this, why are our police officers having to follow? Certain rules like identifying themselves, like wearing cameras so that everything they do and say is recorded. Um, like having vehicles fully marked so that they are identified as to who they are. Why do they have those rules? I’m ignorant. You tell me why they have those rules. But these federal agents are out here with masks, with big guns, with no identification, with no warrants. They look like cartel members. Our town looked like they are in Guadalajara, Cartel members rounding up and kidnapping our citizens and unmarked vehicles. So my question to you is. Why do they get to have different rules in our town? Why are their rules different than the ones of our police officers here today? So please join this lawsuit and protect the members of our community.

Ruthie Hanchett: I serve on the Fullerton Elementary School Board. And so I wanted to just bring some of my concerns specifically about our students and what we’re seeing through the school board here in Fullerton since November, we’ve definitely seen changes. Bit of really the administration has brought significant trauma and hardships to our students at Fullerton School District and their families. We don’t keep records or know exactly who is undocumented, which families or students, but we see as an impact at every single school and in every single part of our city. This spring we had in a situation where an FSD. Dropped off her child at school in the morning, was surveilled and pulled over at our local McDonald’s and deported that very day. She didn’t get to say goodbye to her children. They had to be picked up by someone else and we rallied around them. But that’s the kind of thing that will continue to happen right now in our schools, in our community over the summer.

The Fullerton School District enrollment and attendance was down because families were afraid of ICE kidnappings. They were staying home as much as possible. And while most of us, I know my family, was on summer vacations, enjoying the beach in the park and pools and time with friends, as we’ve heard, many families were sheltering in place. They were not leaving their homes. Because of the fear of deportation, of kidnapping and detention, I was at schools where kids told me about their fears of speaking Spanish, as you’ve heard, a language that we teach on purpose because of the value of it. But instead kids had concluded that it was dangerous to speak Spanish.

I’ve personally, and many of us in this room, delivered groceries to families this over the summer where families were not leaving their home because they were afraid of deportation. Parents were not working because of the fear of kidnapping. And with tears, moms told me about how hard it was to keep kids inside all summer long. How that small space they were in, really was not a right a good summer for their kids and they couldn’t wait for school to start. Our Fullerton School District responded as best we could. We delivered food, brought groceries, personal items to families. We saw in one day over 500 families stopped to get. Food because there was great need here in Fullerton because of families that were afraid to leave their homes and because they weren’t working because of what’s going on right now.

It was affecting our businesses and their livelihoods. And we’ve just completed our completed our first week of school run day two of the second week and we’re seeing less students enrolled in our schools. As Trustee Estrella shared, we had at least 13 families tell us specifically that they left the United States over the summer that we expected to see in our hallways. More over at least 229 students less than we expected just simply didn’t show up for school this week, last week, and we know that this summer. Mass deportations was a part of that. Please join the lawsuit.

Vixen: My neighboring resident of Placentia are here to support my neighbors in Fullerton. I’m here tonight to ask that our city to take a stand, by joining the lawsuit against over the recent immigration raids. These raids have not only targeted undocumented individuals, they’ve disrupted families. Terrified children and injected fear into neighborhoods where people simply want to live, work and raise their families in peace. Let’s be clear this this isn’t just about immigration. It’s about how we treat human beings and whether our city believes in fairness and due process. Many of these rates have been carried out with. Without proper warrants or legal transparency, they undermine the Constitution, especially the 4th Amendment, and ignore the basic rights of the people they target.

When families are afraid to report crime, send their kids to school or show up to work, we all lose. That kind of fear doesn’t make our city safer, it makes it weaker. When it breaks down the trust between communities and local government, Fullerton has always been a city rooted in community and family values. But if we stay silent while federal agents carry out sweeping, sometimes unlawful actions, then we are complicit in that silence. Other cities across California have joined this. Not to make a political statement, but to defend the rule of law.

They understand that standing up to overreach, no matter who is in power, is part of protecting democracy. By joining this lawsuit, we tell our residents you matter, your rights matter, your families matter, and we will not turn our. Acts on you for political convenience. This is not just a legal issue, it’s a moral one. And decades from now, our children will ask what kind of city we work, Whether we stood with fear or with justice. I urge this council please join the lawsuit and let Fullerton be remembered not for its silence, but for its courage.

Helen Higgins: I live in District 2, a 27 plus years resident. I am in favor of Fullerton joining the ACLU class action lawsuit to end unlawful stops and arrests by ICE and to protect rights to due process and access to counsel for people. An immigration detention Washington, DC is Washington, DC politics is a complete mess. No one knows what will happen one day after another, and certainly not regarding immigration policy. Four days ago K ABC News. In LA, reported ICE activities spotted just a few blocks away from 4 schools in the LA Unified School District.

The City of Fullerton has an obligation to provide a safe and conducive environment at all of its educational institutions without students. Teachers or staff worrying about being detained and or taken away without due process. There’s approximately 64,000 students that attend Fullerton’s three major higher educational institutions, Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton College and Hope International. The city’s website contains the Fullerton Police Department’s section on immigration enforcement. It includes points that we, as advocates for a just and fair immigration policy, are pursuing.

I’m sure that Chief Radus and his department are doing their best under these chaotic and uncertain times. On that website, three of the seven bullet points struck me as critical. Public safety is the primary concern of the FPD, not immigration. The FPD does not enforce federal law the FPD is charged with. Keeping you and our family and your family safe. We will continue to do so regardless of your immigration status. And we will continue to expand our resources, protecting our community from anyone with ill intent. And how sad is it that we have to consider our. Federal officials. With great ill intent anyway, to assure that our community is protected from federal immigration raids, Fullerton absolutely needs to join the ACLU lawsuit or at least submit an amicus brief.

Linda Gardner: I’m a Fullerton resident of over 60 years and I live in District One. In 2023, I visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to see a special exhibit. It was called Auschwitz not long ago, not far away. As you can imagine, it was disturbing and very emotional. Above the entrance there was a banner that read, “It happened, therefore it can happen again. This is the core of what we have to say. It can happen and it can happen everywhere.” This is a quote from Primo Levi an Auschwitz survivor that I read that in March of 2023.

It was before masked men in unmarked cars began kidnapping people off the street because of the color of their skin. This was before people were sent to countries they had never been to and put in prisons with deplorable conditions. Primo Levi was speaking of that happening in our country, in our city. Today would have been my father’s birthday. He fought in Germany in World War 2. He fought to protect us from what is happening now. You can take a stand. Against this totally unAmerican practice by joining in this lawsuit. Please vote yes.

Speaker: 82 years ago, my grandparents and my extended family were removed from their homes, lost their businesses were rounded up and. Incarcerated in what were called relocation centers, later known as internment camps. And I have seen in my own family and community how that. Event of justice organized state violence impacted my family and community over multiple generations, and I can tell you that. Heard of that pain? Has to do with the fact that nobody spoke up for them. Sure, there were individuals who supported them, took their stuff and knew that they were good people, but there was no organized movement of people who are using their power and their voice to speak up on their behalf and say this is wrong.

And I think about the opportunity that we’re engaging in today, this dialogue around joining a court case. And I think about what it would have meant for their city to have had the opportunity to have the same conversation all those years ago, you know, might not have. Changed the actions of the federal government, but it would have really meant something to them and to all of their descendants. And so I invite you, as you enter your deliberations this afternoon to consider that, you know. I don’t know what the outcome of the lawsuit is going to be, but. The way that we speak and the decisions that you make today do matter, and they matter to people that you know in the city, people that you don’t know, people that maybe aren’t even born yet, but just the legacy of that, that I stand before you today. Kind of embodying that, invite you to bring that into your deliberations this evening.

Speaker: I would like you to join the ACLU lawsuit against illegal and unconstitutional ICE tactics. Many cities have joined and others are considering do so. Please do not say that doing so will not make a difference. It is something we can do. We need to speak up. My hope is that all cities. Counties, States and other groups speak out and join the lawsuit. We need to take action against this blatant disregard for the law and the Constitution. The court has issued an injunction against many of the tactics. An appeals court upheld that injunction. However, it’s being ignored by ICE.

We all, we need to all have the courage and stand up to this and do all we can to stop it. I don’t want to repeat what a lot of people have said because I have some other things. This issue has depressed me almost more than anything that’s been happening. I can tell lots of stories. I was in shopping at Target behind this lovely and I was racial profiling just based on how these people looked and the language they were speaking. It was a beautiful father and mother buying their little daughter this beautiful dress and I envisioned. That father or mother being um. Deported, And I went to my car and I cried and I thought, for what reason? For no reason at all. I was born with white skin. That’s not better than brown skin, but I can walk down the street and I don’t have to fear.

Some of you up there are immigrants already, but those of you that aren’t, I promise you if I was born in a country and I could come here and make things better for my children. And you can’t wait like 10-15 years. You can bet I would come here illegally and come and try and help them and give them a better life and I bet if you asked that you would do it also. The sad part is our country has stopped the legal way to get asylum or to become a citizen. They changed the rules. When it’s not right, um. I love. I learned that a friend of mine who I had no idea confided in me that this person lost 75% of their income, afraid to go to work, wants to go to work because they need money to support the family.

Asun:  I just graduated high school and I’m about to start college. I’m a part of the Fullerton Police Explorer program. I interned with our assemblywoman, Sharon Quirk-Silva, and I volunteer in the community. I share that because public service matters to me. I believe in giving back and standing up for what’s right. And I want to speak tonight because this issue is very personal for me. I grew up watching my mom worked so hard, long hours juggling everything. Just to give me opportunities. She’s a hard working mother and I’ve seen first hand how much sacrifice goes into building a better life for just not me, but for the community. And I know she’s not alone.

So, so many families in our community are doing the same, working hard, raising their kids, and still living in fear. I know families who are scared every single day. And what breaks me the most is that even their little kids carry that fear I’ve heard questions that no child should ever ask. Am I illegal? Are we safe? Kids who should only be worrying about cartoons or like going to soccer practice and they’re worried about their own family. That’s what’s wrong. It’s not this. It’s not what this city or this country is supposed to be standing for. This lawsuit is about more than just politics. It’s about dignity. It’s about telling those families that they matter, that their kids deserve to grow up without fear.

By joining this fight, our city can prove we are willing to stand with them, not just look the other way. I’m young, I’m only 17, but I believe in justice and I want to believe that the leaders in my city that I’ve grown up, that my parents have grown up, my sisters have grown up, my friends. Grown up that you guys could please just help and stand here with us. Please don’t stay silent. Join the lawsuit, show families like mine and the kids like the ones I know that you guys are willing to fight for them.

Antonio Luna: I am married to a wonderful lady, Elsa Luna. We live in Fullerton for the last 20 years. We’ve been here for the last 50 years. I was born in Mexico. I am from the state of Colima. I came here in the 70s, but I’m begging you, I’m asking you to join the collision. I came here in the 70s at age 8 years old, not because I wanted to, but because my father passed away and my mother was so young. I was a member of eleven siblings. I was 8 and I came here with two sisters and two brothers, the older ones, barely 20 and 21, and they all work at City of Placentia and Fullerton. And I went to elementary school in Anaheim, Abraham Lincoln. And then I went to Fremont Junior High, which doesn’t exist anymore.

When I was about to go to high school, I came back home and the manager knocked at the door and she said, “Tony, something terrible happened. Your family is no longer here. They’ve all got deported.”

At age 14 ready to go to high school. My head spun. Like you have no idea. Please help us because the same worry that I had and the 70s when I was left alone with no family members. People were telling me, “you’re going to go to a foster family and you’re going to live with a foster family.”

Me not knowing, being ignorant, I said no, I got family. I belong. I got dignity if I’d been taken away then I’m not going to see my family anymore. So, what do I do? I had two jeans, two shirts, sneakers, and I live in the streets of Anaheim for six months. Eating from the trash cans, sleeping carports, garages and on and on until one lovely lady, Maria saw me and gave me a home.

I’m asking you. We all came from a family of immigrants, and I know that I want peace and this city that I took as my home. Fullerton is my home, and it’s a beautiful home because you make it beautiful. I’m asking you stand for our people.

I serve as available at a Catholic Perish. I’m a Deacon of a Catholic Church and I don’t see colors. I serve everybody with love and I believe in peace. But in order for me and for you to have peace, we need to fight for justice. And I know you can do it. I know that you can do it better than us. Please, stand for us. Join the lawsuit.

Speaker: I’m really emotional. I know a lot of people and two weeks ago someone came to me and was telling me that her daughter was going to college. She was so scared of going. She stopped going to school for a whole week. Her parents kept begging her to go and she was so afraid and she called up her teachers and said that she wasn’t going to go anymore that she was just going to quit and they talked to her and they encouraged her to go back and that’s one story. Another one of my friends, her daughter I’ve seen her grow she volunteers she’s very good. She just graduated from Cal State as a teacher and she can be a teacher. So it’s just two stories that made me for you guys are nothing but for our communities are not so please join this lawsuit.

Pilar – speaking in Spanish: Buenas noches, me llamo Pilar Maldonado y estoy aquí hoy para pedirles ayuda. Nuestra comunidad está sufriendo. No podemos escondernos durante tres años y medio. Tenemos que ir a trabajar, llevar a nuestros hijos a la escuela, ir a los parques. Sabemos que ustedes están con nosotros, que tienen buen corazón, que tienen familias, y todos los días le pedimos a Dios que no nos dejen solos para que nos ayuden con este asunto. Por favor, ayúdennos. No podemos hacerlo solos, pero nuestros hijos también. Sus familias dicen que pueden votar, dar su voto y emitirlo. Y su voto no irá en contra de las personas, sino más bien en contra de las ordenanzas y políticas que van en contra de nuestras comunidades, tal como lo hizo John King. Muchas gracias y espero que puedan ayudarnos.

Pilar – Translated: Good evening, my name is Pilar Maldonado and I’m here today begging you to help us. Our community is suffering. We cannot hide for 3 1/2 years. We have to go to work, we have to take our kids to school, we have to be able to go to the parks. We know that you guys are with us, that you guys have good hearts, that you guys have families, and every day we pray to God for you guys not to leave us alone to help us with this matter. Please help us. We are not able to do this alone on this one but also our kids are. Family members say they’re able to vote and to give and place their votes. And their vote is not going to go against people, but more against the ordinances and policies that go against our communities just like just like John King did. Thank you very much and I hope that you guys are able to help us.

Zoom caller Dominic: I live in District 3 just north of Cal State Fullerton. I wanted to express my support on the lawsuit against Kristi Noem. A lot of people in public comment have said a lot of good things about it. So, I will not bore you with that, but this lawsuit is defining for your careers and for our community. Our community needs this lawsuit because ICE agents, as mentioned earlier, are not following the Miranda rights laws are covered in masks and yes they do. Look like cartels and this also looks like a communist dictatorship. So with that, there are also the, the, it’s not just ICE people who are also doing this as well. The Federal Protective Service, which is also known as the Federal police, along with the United States Marshals Service is providing mutual aid and are also wearing these masks and are also violating certain Miranda rights laws as well. That is a misuse of the Federal Protective Service along with the United States Marshall Service. This is why federal court cases are not being heard right now, because they’re not enough Marshall men or Federal Protective Service officers from protecting the courthouse to start court cases and so that. So I urge you and I at this point beg you to please join this lawsuit like Anaheim did, like Santa Anna did, and most recently, Costa Mesa.

Zoom caller Shannon: I’m Cantor Shannon McGrady Bain and Jewish Clergy. I’ve lived in Fullerton since I was nine years old. Over 50 years Richmond Nicholas and Fullerton High School. Plus I’ve taken classes at both of the colleges and I want you to know that the Jewish community stands with our immigrant neighbors. And I also want to give you some context that in the Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament, in the Hebrew Bible, the most frequently stated commandment is to be kind to the stranger. Because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. And why is that said 36 times in the Hebrew Bible? Because it’s easy to get complacent. It’s easy, when you are the one with power and comfort to ignore the pain and the suffering. Of those who need our support and our immigrant neighbors are suffering. I worry for my employees. They’re good, hard working, honest women and I worry for them and I worry for all of our all of our people. Color because anyone who’s not white is in danger, whether or not they are U.S. citizens or legally here. If they, It doesn’t matter that everybody is in danger. And we need to recognize this moment and meet the moment with courage. And with justice, and I beg you, please to. Let us be proud of our city and join this lawsuit. History is watching.

Zoom caller Davis Garcia: I’m speaking in favor for the city of Fullerton to join in the litigation for federal freedom in the case Vasquez Perdomo v. Kristi Noem as it is imperative that we take action to defend the civil liberties of all people in our communities. I along with students at UCI have friends, family and neighborhoods and neighbors who are afraid of being stopped, even though some may have proper identification. This is all happening in your city. The pervasiveness of ICE in our communities erodes our trust in the very governing agencies and councils that are meant to serve and protect such communities. This isn’t a political issue, it’s a civil rights abuse and a human rights issue. Thank you, and we demand that you take measures with proper transparency and public input moving forward.

Council Member Dr Ahmad Zahra:  Mr. Mayor, I have a point of order. Just a question, if I may ask. Will this item, whatever decisions that’s made inside will be this reported out?

Jung: I would defer to the city attorney.

Bettenhausen: Any final action gets reported out, so without knowing what actions taken and I can’t really answer that question. It depends on the, it depends on the vote and then the decision of the Council.

After the Closed Session meeting, Bettenhausen reported that the council voted to file an Amicus Brief and coordinate with other cities.  The audience cheered.

Watch the full video here: https://fullerton.granicus.com/player/clip/2114?view_id=2&redirect=true

Read about the ACLU lawsuit: https://www.aclusocal.org/en/cases/vasquez-perdomo-v-noem