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As Mayor of Camarillo, I share our community’s concerns regarding the recent surge in federal immigration enforcement activity. The visible presence of ICE agents in and around our community has understandably caused fear and anxiety—not only for our farmworker families, but also for the broader community who rely on trust, safety, and transparency from those charged with protecting them.
I stand firmly in support of Congresswoman Brownley’s call for accountability and clarity from federal agencies. Our residents deserve to know who has been detained, where they are being taken, and why these actions have occurred under such vague circumstances. These sweeping raids destabilize our agricultural community, erode public trust, and compromise the very values our city upholds.
This week, the Camarillo City Council welcomed community members to our Council meeting, where we listened to several hours of heartfelt public comments from concerned residents. Their voices reflected a shared anxiety over the federal actions happening all around us, underscoring how deeply these operations have affected individuals, families, and our entire community’s sense of security and stability. We are grateful for everyone who came forward to speak—and we hear you.
In our city, we remain committed to upholding California law and safeguarding the dignity and well-being of everyone who calls Camarillo home. We fully support the community-focused policies of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, which provides policing services to Camarillo. These policies ensure that immigration status is not a factor in local law enforcement practices. Moreover, our officers do not and will not participate in any federal immigration enforcement operations. As always, their focus remains on protecting public safety, NOT on enforcing federal immigration laws.
I emphasize this point because maintaining trust within all the neighborhoods the Camarillo Police Department serves is the only way our officers can continue to effectively serve and protect our community.
We will not allow fear to replace trust in Camarillo. We will continue working with our partners, community leaders, and elected officials to ensure that our city is a place where everyone can feel safe, secure, and respected.
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