The City of Glendale announced that it has terminated its agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to it becoming “divisive.” The canceled agreement surrounds federal immigration detainees at the Glendale Police Department facility.
“This is a local decision and was not made lightly. Since 2007, the City has maintained a highly regulated, locally controlled facility that is maintained to the highest standards, extending basic dignities to those temporarily held—ensuring access to clean accommodations, on-call medical care, family visitation, and legal counsel. By offering local access, detainees were given due-process proximity that is too often lacking in more remote or privately-operated detention centers,” a statement published on the city’s website states.
“Nevertheless, despite the transparency and safeguards the City has upheld, the City recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive,” it says. “And while opinions on this issue may vary—the decision to terminate this contract is not politically driven. It is rooted in what this City stands for—public safety, local accountability, and trust.”
The city emphasized that its police department “does not enforce immigration law” and is in “full compliance” with a California policy prohibiting local law enforcement from using resources for immigration enforcement.
“It is also our duty to ensure that Glendale’s residents and businesses do not suffer the consequences of the unruly and unlawful behavior of others,” the statement added. “Moving forward, the facility will continue to serve local law enforcement needs without participation in federal detention efforts.”
The statement comes as anti-ICE protesters have flooded Los Angeles streets.
