Indio leaders seek transparency on ICE arrests in the city
Luis Avila
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – City officials in Indio are pushing for clarity on recent immigration enforcement in the area, seeking information about who has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and why the public has been left in the dark.
Council member Oscar Ortiz is leading the effort to request data from the Department of Homeland Security under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a federal law that allows the public to request records from federal agencies, with certain exceptions.
“Right now, we’re looking for transparency. A lot of us — even our leadership — don’t know how many people were taken from our city.”
Oscar Ortiz, Indio Council Member
The city’s FOIA request would seek details such as:
Number of residents arrested this year
Immigration status
Reasons for their detention
Length of time spent in detention centers
Outcomes of arrests
Sandra Reyes, program manager at TODEC, noted that access to this data is about more than just numbers.
“It’s important because that reflects the realities of our city. Having the data reflects the huge impact in the community.”
Sandra Reyes, TODEC Program Manager
Ortiz hopes the data will provide a clearer picture of what’s happening to its residents and allow the city and local organizations to better support affected families.
“We’re not requesting any personal information and so the data that we get back should be made public. My hope is that organizations and even students will use that information and get a better understanding of what’s going on.”
Oscar Ortiz, Indio Council Member
The city council will consider the FOIA request at its meeting tomorrow.
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