Citing ‘Compassion and Humanity,’ Eureka Council Approves Sanctuary City Resolution
Screenshot of this Tuesday’s Eureka City Council meeting video showing Brenda Perez with other members of Centro Del Pueblo.
Finding that “the recent presidential election has renewed a sense of uncertainty and fear among many communities in Eureka,” the Eureka City Council has approved a Sanctuary City resolution.
The council emphatically supported the resolution, approving it unanimously at its March 4 meeting.
As declared in the resolution, being a Sanctuary City means no city funds or personnel, including police, will be used “to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for civil immigration enforcement purposes.”
The resolution says the Eureka Police Department “shall not collaborate or share immigration-related information with federal immigration authorities unless required by federal or state law.”
As quoted in a written staff report from the City Attorney’s Office, a new presidential executive order prioritizes “enforcement of immigration laws against ‘all inadmissible and removable aliens, particularly aliens who threaten the safety and security of the American people.’”
The consequences of not cooperating with that effort are spelled out in the staff report.
A memo from the U.S. Department of Justice says federal law “prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests” and another memo orders federal agencies to withhold funding from “Sanctuary jurisdictions.”
City Attorney Autumn Luna dealt with concerns about those implications at the start of the hearing.
Eureka City Councilmembers from left to right: Renee Contreras-DeLoach, Ward 5; Scott Bauer, Ward 4; Mayor Kim Bergel; G. Mario Fernandez, Ward 3; Kati Moulton, Ward 2; Leslie Castellano, Ward 1.
“I want to say that these issues are being litigated currently and there has been no judgment from any court that would prevent the city from taking the action today to approve this resolution – I just want to be clear about that,” she said.
She told councilmembers her office will be paying attention to court outcomes but “taking action today to approve this resolution is authorized.”
The resolution “shares a lot of commonalities with sanctuary policy of many, many other jurisdictions,” she continued, including that of Arcata, the county and the state.
Highlighting “a really important distinction,” Luna said the sanctuary policy doesn’t prevent enforcement actions against “folks who have committed crimes – this is about civil federal immigration policy and the city’s directive that we not use city resources to assist in civil federal immigration policy enforcement.”
Eureka Police Chief Brian Stephens said the resolution affirms what the department is already doing. He emphasized immigration status isn’t the department’s concern.
“Nothing has changed the way the Eureka Police Department serves our community and we’re open to anyone that’s victimized to come forward and we will take care of them and do all we can to solve their crime,” he continued.
Many people spoke during a public comment period, most of them passionately supporting the resolution.
Several told of their own families’ experiences, including a man who said it’s taken many years for a family member to gain legal status “due to the hurdles and obstacles that this country has consistently thrown at these undocumented immigrants, to cease their process in gaining legal documentation.”
He described the sanctuary policy as “a humanitarian responsibility” and said federal immigration enforcement is being done in an “extremely saddening” way.
Many speakers spoke of the resolution as a sign of progress.
“I’m celebrating that this is happening,” said Brenda Pérez of Centro Del Pueblo. “It feels like a movement to repair a historical mistake made by the policies that try to dehumanize immigrants – right now, we are regaining our dignity.”
She added, “For the first time since I migrated here, I feel like ‘We the People’ is real, we all – immigrant citizens, documented and undocumented – we are all the same in front of a sanctuary status and this sanctuary status really makes a difference.”
There was some strong commentary, including from those who compared federal immigration enforcement to Nazi pogroms and an opponent of the resolution who said “the only people they’re talking about deporting are those that have committed further crimes and if you want to support them, then go to hell.”
Other speakers said fear and anxiety over immigration enforcement is a mental health issue, with one suggesting that a forum on it be organized by the city.
Council members said the sanctuary policy aligns with basic human rights standards.
“I just want to say I love it when people accuse us or me of ‘virtue signaling’ as though displaying your ideals and your principles is somehow a bad thing,” said Councilmember Kati Moulton. “The virtues I would like to signal right now are compassion and humanity.”
Councilmember Leslie Castellano said the “cost of any threatened loss of revenue to the City of Eureka is much less significant than the potential cost of harm to the people who are immigrants and call this place home.”
The most personal commentary was from Councilmember Renee Contreras-DeLoach, who related that members of her family came to America, were “forcibly removed” and then returned when the political environment changed.
She also told of her experience as a member of government in Utah in the early 2000s and going to a home where an immigration “raid” had been done.
“It was a terrible day,” she said. “And they had gone to a factory and just rounded people up. It stuck with me. It happened about 21, 22 years ago, but it’s just stuck with me. Something that I’m never going to forget is that there were children on porches sitting waiting for parents who didn’t show up and there were children at school who were waiting, who didn’t get picked up – I don’t ever want to contribute in any way, shape, or form to something like that happening to anybody in our community.”
Before the approval vote, Mayor Kim Bergel said she’s “so thankful and grateful to live in a place where we have this kind of love and connection with each other, and value each other.”
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It seems that effective parenting and effective government aren’t too far off.
Of course, there are some virtues that ensure lasting success for your genetic code, and your citizens.
Those parents who instill strong moral and economic virtues give their children hope that they may grow up to be financially secure, and successful leaders of family and community.
Then there are the Bolsheviks.
The long shadow of Lenin’s ‘worse is better’ – CSMonitor.com
https://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0423/042334.html
Morality: “Telling the truth is a petty- bourgeois prejudice. Deception, on the other hand, is often justified by the goal.” As to the deceptive campaign promises of the Bolsheviks that helped them gain power in November, 1917, Lenin admitted in 1919 that his utopian slogans were not examples of “true consciousness”; any workers who now insisted on their fulfillment were “deceivers of the people . . . enemies of the Soviet regime.”
—————————-
The Worse, The Better
https://www.forbes.com/sites/digitalrules/2008/12/26/the-worse-the-better/
You’re comparing the Eureka City Council to the Bolsheviks?
The Bolsheviks were smart, calculating and ruthless — the ECC is simply clueless.
Eureka is already a de facto sanctuary city — the only thing passing a resolution does is advertise it to the Feds thereby risking a law suit and loss of funds — brilliant!
It’s been a default sanctuary city for decades. Lots of folks came here looking for a change of pace, a different lifestyle, to start over, to find riches in the extraction industries….and never left even when they had the chance to move on. Throw in a couple world wars or some other far away exodus and people came here in groups, and still do. But yeah, I’d agree a comparison to the Bolsheviks is a bit much. We don’t have that level of systemic planning and intelligence, nor the sheer number of people to support it beyond a couple council meetings and a bunch of random internet commenters.
The best trick satan has is to convince you he does not exist.
Modern Red Terror is now achieved through planned parenthood.
you don’t need anywhere near the wisdom and infrastructure in todays political landscape.
what is the goal here!? How does a group of people elected by tax paying citizens get to prioritize illegals, over native born and then hide behind the term sanctuary.
the question is who benefits from these decisions and why?
the question that always comes up for me is the inability to receive the same treatment from Mexican Cities toward US citizens.
its a strategic plan to bring in populations who aren’t American to undermine the fabric of society. Pawns on the grand chessboard in a war for control and power.
I for one I’m glad they said it now they’ll all be shut down and there’ll be no funding that’s what Eureka gets for being stupid
I love Eureka. I lived there for years. But it is overall becoming dangerous and unlivable…
I’ve spent time trying to understand the Neo Liberal and find an explanation for their lock step allegiance to all things that degrade western culture. Occam’s Razor keeps bringing me back to the Bolsheviks. Thanks for sharing this article.
Interesting I also find this. However as we learn in biology/ecology from convergent evolution 2 different species can share similar traits though they began their revolutionary shaping from very different origins. While they may appear closely related they only share superficial resemblance usually through environmental influences….Anyways- the Bolsheviks were cunning and strategic. The neo-libs are stumbling us into the similar fate but not by strategy. They are doing it by trying to please whichever noisy group comes forward and claiming compassion and such. One was strategic, one was stupid and short-sighted. But they lead to the same place….if we are not very careful
I am the walrus
I believe that protecting the legal immigrants in our city is a must ,they deserve equal protection.I also believe in pursuing criminal/illegal aliens and protecting our community from those dangers.There is a huge difference between a legal immigrant and a criminal immigrant.They broke the law to get here what makes you think it will stop there or they actually care about any of our laws. When will the people voted into office realize this. Declaring this status tells criminal immigrants from here to El Salvador that is safe for them to make the journey north.We have a safe place for them a so called sanctuary just for them.Here in eureka
Every single illegal immigrant working is either working under the table in concert with their employer avoiding taxes and fees or has stolen someone’s identity or has created fraudulent papers to get away with it. They do not have a possibility of engaging in crime. They are engaging in crime. And they are doing it in cahoots with the very officials who impose the regulations on everyone else.
Isn’t it rich that our city council finds protecting illegal citizens from being deported (when so many businessess are going out) more important than our economy here? The city council responsiblity used to be to attract businesses and tourism. Now, we have virute signlers who want to add portection for people who are here illegally. Can’t wait to see the fall out when the SF criminal illegals move north. Clearly this meeting was an organized group so Bergel could so famously say: I see we have a majority of yeses. IMO, you should put this up for a vote by the population who will have to pay for your folly. It’s not democracy when you have organized a group of citizens to make enough noise but don’t have the fortitude to put it up for a vote by all citizens. Do you councilmembers want to go to jail or do you just want to feel good about yourselves and don’t care that you are breaking the law by resisting the deportation of criminals? Yes, the deportations, at the moment, are the criminal elements. How long do you think it will take for the SF and other sanctuary cities to send their criminals here? I can see the law suits now.
I would love to see the city council members rounded up and jailed. I have more respect for the illegal who came here to work hard and keep his head down to provide for his family. But I think the solution is to fix the system where he can gain legal status and fully join us. Not protect every single criminal border – jumping opportunist. Compassion? We should put our own citizens first!
What would the charge be?
Malfeasance in their official duties. Every office of office includes a bit about defending the Constitution. That includes the part about ” I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.” Nowhere does it add “unless I can figure a way to get around it” by disguising action as choosing to let people ignore the law because they disagree.
Title 8 U.S. Code § 1324Federal Felony.
—
Conspiring with others to bring in aliens illegally/aiding/abetting under subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(v) makes it a federal crime to conspire with others to bring unauthorized aliens into the United States or assist them in doing so, whether for financial gain or not.
Immigrating to the US has always been mostly motivated by the opportunity to succeed financially. But only in the last two decades have liberals erased the obligations to adapt that come with the intent to immigrate to a new permanent home. The constant denigrating of the people who immigrated at a time when moving to a new country was hard work against prejudice and without social services has left more recent immigrants (or at least their offspring as the immigrants themselves are usually less self important) constantly complaining they don’t have every bit of what citizens have as if it was some sort of entitlement.
People who come now are constantly informed about how much they are owed and every impediment I’d due to the racism, xenophobia or greed of the current residents. Who even wants to be law abiding and respectful when they are constantly told how abused they are? Nothing would be worse for America than having immigrants leaving their birth countries and being indoctrinated about the horrors of America asif they were not trying to get a better life by coming here.
There would be conspiracy charges to be had. Certainly
using a fraudulent SS number means they pay tax and get nothing for it. collectively they pay about 100 billion dollars in tax per year and get nothing for in the future like we do, or hope to get.
Not it doesn’t. It may mean or may not mean the employer actually pays the withholding the government. A lot of sleazy employers take the money out but never send it in. And illegal employees don’t complain.
Even if paid in, it frquently triggers a review and Social Security or IRS tries to ID the true owner. The cost of doing that far exceeds the money paid in. There is no “illegal” gravy train for the public.
If the worker subsequently becomes legal, then it is very possible that he will be credited with these earning, the processing of which is very expensive, and no one will ever actually pay the tax. The worker is not held liable and the employer is long gone.
you might want to fact check your pastings.
Why? You didn’t bother. And you’re so wrong. But you look yourself.
https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf
https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf
Sorry left off https://www.mytaxdebtattorney.com/How-Does-the-IRS-Determine-Responsibility-for-Unpaid-Payroll-Taxes
Actually not sorry at all. You should have looked it up yourself.
have you figured out yet why there are so many dead people paying SSI? and it doesn’t mean they get a check in the mail. but it makes good TV.
Deflection, diversion and denial. And no understanding at all. I have no idea about SSI, which is a welfare program. Social Security is not.
Delusion Exclusion Illusion.
if we continue to give them free Healthcare and other social services then neither will we get anything in the future that we have paid in to.
They claim 7 dependents and pay almost no tax. I think that is the # . Anyone can do it if you are not going to be around when they come to collect. And you don’t file returns.
How naive. If they have an emergency and dial 911 the appropriate first responders come. If they need hospitalized taxes pay for it. Taxes pay for the roads they drive on. Their children go to our schools and get special attention for English as a second language. We could go on and on.
Facts matter
immigrants who commit crimes do so at a much lower rate than American citizens. Most avoid all law enforcement contact because they cannot risk being sent back home
No person is illegal on stolen land✌️
If “nobody is illegal on stolen land”,
its like you’re sort of saying “it’s ok to colonize” again and again and again.
natives still live here as we speak, and they are trying to re-assert their claims.
why would more immigration be good for them?
Ironic! I see your point…
fact, 100% of immigrants who enter the u.s. illegally are criminals, period. seems to me, that’s a pretty high rate.
No actually… Entering the usa without legal docs is, under our laws, a civil infraction — like a parking ticket! — not a criminal act.
I know maga cares not for laws, but then they should invoke nonexistent ones to support their racism&xenophobia.
Bullshit
Succinct! Thank you.
That can only be said by someone who lives in a delusional world. Most people who are not illegal live in a world dominated by regulations on just about everything. Taxes, fees, registration, insurance, jury duty, draft, etc. Just avoid all that by avoiding laws and poof! Life has become so much bothersome. At least until recently. Besides, the country is stuck with their criminal natives. It makes no sense that they should be also stuck with any criminal in the whole world too.
That’s less crime trope is an disingenuous idea trotted out each time illegal immigration is brought up. First it only applies to legal immigrants then, in the one study that claimed to include illegal immigrants, it ignores did so by ignoring large numbers of people like those in federal custody. Heck, does it even include a person arrested for drug related crimes? Are such even called immigrants, much less counted. In California, police don’t even question citizen status, so illegals are referred to as from wherever they say the last lived.
And its only if you don’t count the crimes creating fake id or identity theft, not paying all-and that means all- the myriad of employee taxes, working under the table to allow their employers to avoid paying taxes. Which every illegal who is working is doing. Then there is driving without insurance. Or, like what happened in the Great Recession, simply abandoning mortgages and car loans to go back to cheaper living in their own country were jobs disappeared. Heck, even legal immigrants flooded back across the border while still getting benefits that were only payable if they were still living in the US by using fake addresses in border towns.
Then there are the problems left by the the State of California enrolling illegals in health insurance or other benefits with literally no way to verify income or accurate residence. Can’t check? Well if an illegal immigrants, okay but try to avoid scrutiny if not. Here’s what most people are asked to provide https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Get-Medi-Cal/Pages/confirm-eligibility.aspx Notice the little splurb on self attesting waaaaay at the bottam?
You might want to check out the conditions in El Salvador before you comment more. The country is a small land area with an aggressive/over populated public with nearly 1000+ people per square mile. Most of the population is under the age of 16 and are strict Catholics who like to f√€k. Most of the land is reserved for coffee fincas, forcing the poor to live in cardboard huts along the easments of roadways. There’s not enough space for everyone. The government is a dictatorship who have pocketed most monetary aid ever sent. Neighboring countries discourage Salvadorian immigration. Only the wealthy enjoy the high life while the majority poor basically live on the street or in drainage pipes eating from trash piles, especially small abandoned children. (Very sad to see). It’s been a dire situation for some time now. Most people would do anything possible to escape what I described. You probably would also.
Oh- so you are describing the future of the United States? Because that’s where the mega-wealthy are sending us…right into that kind of wealth disparity. I don’t think allowing a flood of impoverished illegals to jump the border will help us with that…Why don’t they get together and start a revolution down there? Burn down the mansions…
Why don’t WE start one (a rev) up here? Cuz we’re afraid of being killed, injured, &/or imprisoned? Huh…
They have many times. It’s called the great massacre. Salvadorians remember the event well.
You’ve made a lot of claims here. May we some of the evidence for these?
Let’s see the stats (like the murder rate, for instance) from before and after
Bukele won by more than 80% of the vote. Please and thank you.
Here is a very thoughtful, informative, and most importantly, objective analysis of El Salvador, both pre- and post-Bukele. Good read.
https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/02/11/el-salvador-and-the-bukele-anti-crime-experiment-is-it-working/
I’m a RPCV and served my country for 4 years as a diplomat in E.S. Witnessed the civil war up close. I return there regularly.
i. e. Cuevas
It’s crazy that we allow the widespread vocabulary abuse of calling illegal aliens “immigrants”. It’s a shady way of cloaking what’s really going on. We are a nation of immigrants and we love, protect and celebrate the differences we immigrants have brought here! But illegal and criminal border- jumpers are different. They may be hard-working, decent and good people but they have entered the country and stayed here ILLEGALLY! This isn’t hard to say so why all the bullshit lying about it? We need to fix our immigration system to allow some of these good folks legal status!! But to just ignore the situation and allow criminal entry into our country is very wrong…and to pretend illegal entry is the same as legal immigration is a bullshit abuse of vocabulary- it’s a lie intended to conceal the reality…
Words are very important. Like using “our democracy” hundreds of times a day to fool the ignorant into why the majority opinion doesn’t always take precedent. Same with global cooling, er, warming, er, climate change, there covered all bases. It’s all a Farce to grab the Ring and horde it like Gollum.
Global warming started at the end of the last Ice Age. Thank God or we would alll be under a sheet of ice right now. Just saying.
Well said
I must say well put I completely agree all four of my children born in Eureka my wife grew up in Eureka her father is still in Eureka we thankfully escaped we live in Alaska where we don’t have that problem and no Sanctuary protection for illegal immigrants I wish you the best and I hope that you and everyone like you survives this invasion and I hope all those traders that created these protections for illegal immigrants are prosecuted God bless you
GIGO. That pretty much sums up the ECC. If you vote in trash, you get trash decisions. How come this bullshit was passed and the EPD request for surveillance was denied? The simple answer is that the ECC doesn’t care about laws, the constitution, their oath of office. They care only about furthering the anti US far left wing agenda. Yes, I will continue not shopping in Eureka any more than I have to, because supporting local businesses supports keeping these lawless losers in “power.”
If all goes well, DOGE and DHS have a close eye on your treasonous actions and the arrests and deportations will be coming soon!
Yep. this political grandstanding is form the same Failed city council that wants to change me $35,000 to upgrade may sewer laterals on my rental properties. I have notified the tenants of a pending rent increase to prepare for this. Non of them are immigrants, by the way. And they all vote.
That policy was tabled.
Sounds like you’ve neglected upkeep of the properties and now you think charging your tenants for your lack of upkeep is cool. Think again. You are being pge. Neglect things then charge the people that pay you to fix your neglect. Very christian and very amerikkkan values
You seem to not understand that the sewer pipes are ancient and are actually the responsibility of the city – unfortunately this SLO has shifted responsibility to home owners … even if they only bought the home 5 years ago. Seems pretty outrageous to expect someone to shoulder city infrastructure costs.
You can hate on greedy landlords all you want and most days I’d agree with you, but this is new cost for ancient infrastructure is ridiculous. Some home owners are responsible to pay for the city street to be dug up in order to access the problem – that’s horsepucky.
if they’re on your property, it’s your responsibility. the city’s starts at the end of your property.
Ya, there’s a real grey area with upper and lower laterals.
Again, only three plumbing contractors are allowed to dig up the street … again, if the street is being dug up that sounds like a city issue.
your responsibility ends at your property line regardless.
No, as of the new ordinance the lower lateral – from the property line to the main – is now on the homeowner.
I can understand the upper, but the lower is city.
Reminded me. Several years ago Richard Miller who owned business property on Broadway was advised by what ever government agency that he had to remove old underground fuel storage tanks on his property. He had no knowledge of their existence as they were there long before he purchased the property. In the resulting dispute it was discovered they were actually located under Broadway. Apparently the State of California claimed the property to widen the roadway at some time. To the best of my knowledge those storage tanks are still there. Lots to think about with this story. Sounds funny but it wasn’t for Richard Miller.
The same thing happened to the “stump house” on Broadway.
I don’t doubt it. I guess only tax payers have to clean up the old storage tanks etc. But not the State.
Facts matter
EPD was quoted as having surveillance trailers around town. And even prior to that, crime dropped more than 10% in the city. It was reported here and on loco
That’s utterly nonsense. What happened is that what was reported as crime has dropped. What has been defined as crime has changed. And a 10% drop after a steep rise in crime is still a whole lot of crime.
All that EPD has done is release endless press releases on how to avoid being a victim of crime by trying to frustrate criminals. Which is what is done when criminals flourish at the expense of everyone else.
Crime is up significantly. It’s just that the DA won’t prosecute, so it isn’t counted as crime. Every part of the Humboldt criminal justice system is so corrupt, just being the DA should be a crime for failure to do the job.
Prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens is one of the main reasons the democrats lost the election. The mayor and council members, along with the Eureka Police chief, are complicit in violating Federal law and they are committing treason by not protecting the citizens of Eureka. They must be removed from their positions of power and jailed.
These same hypocrites who cite “feel good”virtues such as “compassion and humanity”, had no problem serving search warrants, raids, and giving abatements with exorbitant fines to landowners/citizens who pay taxes which pay their salaries. Stripping those landowners of their “dignity” in an extremely “saddening way”.
Doubling down on illegal immigration just further erodes the failed Democrat party and shows the American public how out of touch they are, and that they do not care about its citizens. By only “standing” and applauding for Ukraine, and not one thing for America, during Trumps speech, the democrats proved that they are an America Last Party. Truly disappointing that the party did NOT learn from the failed election, as they have gone too far left, perhaps to the point of no return…
Making up false outrages is one of the things that go Republicans elected.
At least you’re continuing with a proven strategy.
Obviously, nothing in this resolution prioritizes undocumented immigrants over US citizens.
But having rational conversations grounded in reality puts MAGA Republicans at a disadvantage.
Being a false victim of the false outrage is why Trump is now your president.
If recondite was a person it would be you Jebs. You never fail to impress with your ability to deflect blame. Do you have an allergy to accountability or are you just tone deaf?
No one, literally no one beats the drum of false outrage as hard as liberals. Then, having created a smelly dump of high taxes, big government with voluminous regulations and bitter social stress, they tend to move to places they can still afford to live and repeat the formula for disaster.
The incessant whining about MAGA only exists to kill rational conversation. Long before MAGA as a trademark existed, the left called anyone sensible fascists, racists, colonials, genocidal, etc etc etc. Then, having killed off rational who was not an as bitter as they are. can they possibly complain those who survived are ideologues who really are that?
Unfortunately the country is at the point where ordinary people have run out of money to fund the ever hungry maw of Socialism. Biden literally milked the country to the point of exhaustion. Stagnant wages, increases in cost of living, the rich getting unfathomably powerful, created by a political philosophy that everyone is owed can only be followed by strikes, escalating costs of living and resentment by those who have carried the burdens. No one is in the mood to be rational anymore.
“nothing in this resolution prioritizes undocumented immigrants over US citizens.-Jebs
From the resolution:
“Councilmember Leslie Castellano said the “cost of any threatened loss of revenue to the City of Eureka is much less significant than the potential cost of harm to the people who are immigrants and call this place home.”
who is getting priority, Jebs? Sounds like the US citizens are “ much less significant “
And she called them “immigrants”. Most of us are immigrants or children of immigrants. But these are not- they are “illegal immigrants”. There IS a big difference and conflating the terms is a form of deception. Time we pull the terms away from each other..
Yes and once again they substituted the word “immigrant” for illegal alien. How does this sound: the cost of any threatened loss of revenue to the City of Eureka is much less significant than the harm to criminals calling this place home. Takes on a whole different meaning doesn’t it.
Deflect deflect obscure and deflect.. And if you don’t agree you are racist, sexist, bigoted mean bad evil person. That strategy is what we grew tired of and that is why the DEMs lost and will continue losing. It gave us Trump- so Thanks A Lot there, buddy. Please stop feeding that line of bullshit- it’s over and it only fuels the Trumplers. Can’t you see that?
Then vote to remove, but to jail political opposition, how very Putin of you. Only treason I see is you’re new Russian values pushing back against the Constitution
We can only hope. Their behavior was and is embarrassingly immature and un-American, as usual. They won’t work with President Trump on ANYTHING, no matter how good it will be for us and for America. It’s disgraceful. I hope they keep it up.
Well in reality this report is lacking in some details, the city will follow federal law. it turns out they just aren’t going to be up front about hunting for or finding illegals in our community. So the city won’t be at risk of losing federal funds because they are playing along in the background while up front they are posturing to their liberal and progressive constituents, which are idiots.
I think you nailed it.A show for the idiot masses.
So what you are saying is the EPD will assist ICE in apprehending illegal aliens. If arrested or identified in other crimes they will hold illegal aliens and contact Ice to apprehend these subjects. They are sworn to do this. If they don’t they are in violation of federal law. Maybe I misread the report.
” Prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens is one of the main reasons the democrats lost the election. The mayor and council members, along with the Eureka Police chief, are complicit in violating Federal law and they are committing treason by not protecting the citizens of Eureka. “
Louder and again.
Think. If you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country.
I’d love to see the 21 million that hopped the line in the last 4 years try this nonsense anywhere else on the planet… They couldn’t. Because virtually every nation on earth, has enforced immigration policies.
Oh and the ? ignorant commentary from public regarding enforcement?…
“those who compared federal immigration enforcement to Nazi “pogroms” (pogrom: an organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jewish people in Russia or eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.) Ironically, the pogroms of the 1880s drove many westwards to the USA!
Comparing immigration enforcement of the most open nation on the planet to genocide of the Jews, really? REALLY?
People so dumb it’s sad.
I love watching the Democratic party self destruct
So do I but it’s kind of like watching a poorly written movie that you already figured out from watching the previews.
Cause love thy neighbors is so yesterday
City councils and government “leaders” such as these have made it increasingly difficult to be a simple homeowner. Heavy taxes and the liabilities they pile on in the form of fees, fines, penalties make owning real property the equivalent of having a target on your back. Yet they really really care about illegal immigrants? It’s astounding but sadly not surprising. They play to the noise- makers. Most working poor and middle class are too busy working to pay their salaries and benefits and taxes and regulatory fees etc etc etc. As a result we are seeing democracy as done by the wealthy and the unemployed working together to tax even harder the producers in the middle….And that is not “compassionate” or “humane” but short-sighted
Regarding the feel good virtues. How is that it is humane and passionate to take jobs and benefits away from honest hardworking law abiding citizens (especially low income citizens) and give it to illegal aliens. This is what Sanctuary Status does.
I think the city of Eureka is becoming dangerous and unlivable due to the way it is being managed…
If you honestly truly disapprove of this type of treasonous action by City council, make a phone call to immigration services today and report them.
Sure , ok. But don’t eat lunch today at a taco truck, Asian restaurant, or Latin sit down. It’s mashed potatoes and white gravy for you for the rest of your days. Oh and get to work on your garden. You’ll be hungry for produce✌️
Those farm workers are on work visas ,if they don’t want to work on that then don’t come,we’re not talking about farmers on work visas we’re talking about illegal immigrants get your facts strait
Ever heard of home cooking? Produce is picked by workers that have work visa’s and have been forever! You really don’t make any sense! And you really think that all taco trucks and Asian/Latin restaurants are all ran by illegals? WOW.
They were being racist when they said that. LOL!
So you think all those businesses really are run by illegal immigrants labor? As you are so poorly titled, Thanks for proving our point!
“Those farm workers are on work visas”
“Produce is picked by workers that have work visa’s and have been forever! ”
And your comment.
And yet:
Around 75% of immigrant farm workers in Bakersfield, California, ditched their shifts after Trump ramped up his threats by removing protections against ICE raids in “sensitive areas,” including schools and workplaces.
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/161317/farm-workers-ice-raids-food-prices
There is some pushback on how that 75% was reported, admittedly.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-25/kern-county-immigration-raid-new-reality-farmworkers
https://www.kvpr.org/business-economy/2025-02-01/farmworkers-essential-under-the-first-trump-administration-fear-deportation-under-a-second
Several of the fish plants up here in Oregon were raided during Trump’s first term, shut the plants down for awhile. I LMAO at one skipper, and ardent Trumper, who was bitching to high heaven about there being no one to handle his fish. FAFO.
No local kids will work in the plants. The owner of most of the plants (also in Eureka) who is a real notorious asshole then went down to California and brought up a bunch of Black kids. Which upset the local “patriots”. But they are Americans! “Not like that!”. Again, I LMAO. The Hispanic folks are back. Nice people and great food trucks.
repeat of the same articles from different sources. 80 combined arrests in multiple counties. that’s a big dent in an estimated 10-30 million.
The point being a whole lot of folks simply avoided being anywhere they can be rounded up. Oh, and that the idea that all farmworkers have visas is incorrect.
Maybe all you so concerned about workers doing it illegally should boycott those products. Oh continue to lie to yourselves that all farmworkers (including those working in fish, chicken, vegetable, fruits) are legal. have visas.
It isn’t just in California, but nationwide.
But Brent Hollard, a northern Illinois farmer at the convention, said a mass deportation reduction in farm labor is going to hurt farmers.
“Whether it’s a row crop farm, or a specialty, or just a livestock farm like I have, it is very, very tough to get people to help us on our farms,” Hollard said. “We do have some farm labor that we use.”
Roy Coffer, a farmer in Oregon, said he’s not too concerned since President Trump has promised to target criminal immigrants.
“We expect the criminal and really bad people to be deported but the hard-working folks probably should be okay,” Coffer said.
https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/american-farm-bureau-federation-convention-san-antonio-tx-trump-deportation-plan/
what does your comment address about mine ? the workers are supposed to have visas to be here. if employers hire them, they should be cited, just because someone thinks they’re bad or not doesn’t matter. my comment was sarcastic, you can tell it is by what the impact is of 80 deportees to the total problem.
Reply to wrong person. Those comments were not yabut’s. But indeed it does point out something that liberals constantly fail to mention- their tolerance of illegal workers allows devious employers to pay lower wages than they would have to pay if labor had to all be legal. Then attack in victorious rhetoric about how two faced some employers are. Well you gave them the get out of jail card in the first place then whine about wages not keeping up with housing costs. Liberals constantly lay out rewards for the scofflaws and grind down those who try to follow the law.
You can only have your socialist paradise if all those myriad of socialist regulation are enforced. Actually enforced, not cherry picked. Then there woukd be no cheap immigrant labor, legal or otherwise. No picking some get enforce but not those hiring cheap immigrant labor. No honest employer can complete against the double standard that liberals set up.
Best of luck attempting to get gringos to pick lettuce in Salinas, or do the back breaking Lilly work in Smith River.
I haven’t seen the illegal aliens living next door to me pick anything. Not sure how many are in that house, as it varies, and they hide all day.
Late night and early morning cars with out of state plates coming and going, delivering and removing people. Not a lot of “Bangers”, but some.
What bothers me, is that for a good while there were many children in and out. Different children with the same “Mothers”.
One of the original tenants gets arrested for sex crimes against a minor. He disappears and all of a sudden; no more children coming and going, but the cars and strangers continue.
About every three days they place their garbage in see through bags out back. It’s food containers. Enough to feed a platoon.
The day after election day, the whole shebang shut down, and the lights were off at night for a couple of weeks. Now the two old women who do the cooking, and the perpetually drunken old man who herds them around are back. Hopefully they will be out of clients soon, and they will be gone.
At the root, we have elected a bunch of immigration criminals and human traffickers That’s who our pot growing BOS are. No more, no less.
Your letter made my hair stand on end, the story is so utterly familiar. Exact same situation going on next to us here in Mendo County. Flood lights thirty feet in the air have taken away our night sky. We have not had a sex crime arrest that I know of, but the trafficking is non stop. Here it’s about drugs, and people.
They quieted down for awhile after the election but it’s now business as usual. About thirty cars an hour, 24/7.
I wonder how many other places are seeing this.
This is the dumbest comment I’ve ever seen. I had a neighbor that had people come and going all the time. It was three families sharing a four bedroom and they were coming and going all the time because someone was coming home from work, while the other one was leaving for work and then same rinse and repeat throughout the day. Everybody worked in that household. Looks like you need to mind your own business and stop staring at your neighbors with binoculars and assuming you know what’s going on next door. Also voyeurism is illegal if there is not consent. Why don’t you maybe say hi sometime and strike up some conversation, instead of assuming you’ve discovered a national sex trafficking ring.
Ah yes, you appear to love the slave class working for your benefit.
Pathetic. And … racist.
Making out every Hispanic or Asian as lawbreakers ?
I know many of the people you are referring to that are all legal immigrants. They are Honorable hard working people proud to be here. Please don’t insult them by suggesting they are illegal aliens. By the way most of them have great disdain for illegal aliens as they give legals a bad reputation.
“With the governor’s proposed budget including a $7 billion reserve withdrawal and deficits expected to soon rise to $30 billion, and federal funding likely to decrease, the state may face challenges in continuing to pay for this growing program.
During a budget hearing earlier this week, Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, asked California Department of Finance officials how much the state has allocated to undocumented immigrant healthcare in the current budget.
“In the current year, to cover undocumented individuals in Medi-Cal, we’re spending $9.5 billion total funds,” replied a CDOF official, who said $8.4 billion of that comes from the state’s general fund.
“So it’s not the $6 billion that people continue to talk about in the media,” replied DeMaio.
“That was a budget act number. This is a revised number based on the governor’s budget updated estimates,” continued the official.
“If we cut that, at least using your math, we’d have a $1 billion surplus, my friends, we wouldn’t have to go into the rainy day fund,” said DeMaio in response.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/california-spending-9-5b-on-healthcare-for-undocumented-immigrants-this-year/ar-AA1yVeA6
https://youtu.be/x6khVcgAGrw?si=bjVuRx7j7w9OyFdw
It’s good to hear that todays illegal settlers in eureka are now equal to americas original illegal settlers, american citizens.
i wonder if a local native tribal council would just invite in new waves of settlers like this and say
”yeah you’re just like us!” “We want MORE non locals on our land!”
total comedy in eureka of ideological simps and subs.
they betray their sole responsibility to citizens.
their worldview won’t allow them to differentiate between members and non-members.
they want to be “on the right side of history”
they want to give lip service to tribal sovereignty, yet encourage hundreds of Spanish speakers to consider settling in hoopa, covelo, Loleta, Klamath and so on.
“continue the settlement!” They exclaim.
they subvert their own legitimacy as representatives of a constituency.
The empathy of eureka’s soft hearts can perhaps heal a settlers soul, but it can defend no territory and it cannot justify to itself the effort to win against another.
the ultimate gesture of submission, these council members would rather live in somebody else’s society.
Anybody, they’ve just told us,
is equal to a American.
RECALL THEM NOW !!!!
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It is a Federal FELONY >>> ‘Aiding and Abetting’ Illegal Aliens’.
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Aiding and abetting illegal aliens is a federal crime that can result in jail time. It includes helping, transporting, or harboring undocumented immigrants.
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Renee Contreras-DeLoach, Ward 5;
Scott Bauer, Ward 4;
Mayor Kim Bergel; G.
Mario Fernandez, Ward 3;
Kati Moulton, Ward 2;
Leslie Castellano, Ward 1.
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Seems like the illegals/felon abetters… have figured out… that nobody goes to City Council meetings anymore. Smart… it looks like a back door group to pack the council chambers with 50 members.
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Rest of the (legal) citizens of Eureka don’t know what’s going on.
They are busy getting ready for work tomorrow.
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Chart shows illegal immigrants. Politicos know they are future Dem voters.
Chief ambition of a Political Party… ‘Stay in Power’.
The article mentions “basic human rights”. The basic human rights that saved people from the gas chambers, or saved U.S. Japanese from internment camps, or indigenous people anywhere from extermination?? Everything done in nazi Germany was done legally. Laws were changed, judges replaced enforced by the police. If you want your ” basic human rights” it’s going to take a lot more than feel good resolutions. Not sure anyone in that room is up to the task. Mao got it right…”all power comes from the barrel of a gun.”
>”… saved U.S. Japanese from internment camps.”
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Read about: Niihau incident>” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau_incident
— Japanese pilot crashed on a Hawaiian island after the Perl Harbor attack.
— Convinced the Japanese residents of the island to help him.
— Here’s portion:
Having been briefed on the situation beforehand and approaching the task with distaste, Shintani exchanged just a few words with Nishikaichi and departed without explanation. The puzzled Hawaiians then sent for Yoshio Harada, who was born in Hawaii of Japanese ancestry, and his wife Irene (born Umeno Tanaka on Kauai), who constituted the remainder of the Niʻihau population of Japanese ancestry.
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Nishikaichi informed Harada of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Harada chose not to share the information with the non-Japanese natives. Nishikaichi desperately wanted his papers returned, as he had been instructed not to let them fall into American hands, but Kaleohano refused to return them.
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The Haradas decided to help Nishikaichi retrieve his papers and escape.
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Historian Gordon Prange notes that “the rapidity with which the three resident Japanese went over to Nishikaichi’s cause” troubled the Hawaiians and added: “The more pessimistic among them cited the Niʻihau incident as proof that no one could trust any Japanese, even if an American citizen, not to go over to Japan if it appeared expedient.”[18]
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Novelist William Hallstead argues that the Niʻihau incident influenced decisions leading to the Japanese American internment on the continental United States. According to Hallstead, the behavior of Shintani and the Haradas was included in an official Navy report dated January 26, 1942.
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The report’s author Navy Lieutenant C. B. Baldwin wrote: “The fact that the two Niʻihau Japanese who had previously shown no anti-American tendencies went to the aid of the pilot when Japanese domination of the island seemed possible, indicate[s] [the] likelihood that Japanese residents previously believed loyal to the United States may aid Japan if further Japanese attacks appear successful.”[19]
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Go figure.
Where are these people going to live and work? Jobs and housing in the area is already hard enough and expensive. How are these people going to live?
Did anybody think of that or is the answer “well we must…….”
Everybody can live in cardboard boxes in the homeless camps! We are busy being “compassionate” and “humane”!! Lol
Everyone is entitled to one standard issue shopping cart. Should be fiiiine
How about in the name of fairness deport all immigrants? Now there’s a beautiful sight, a continent devoid of humans. The plants and animals will thank us.
Laws are essential for maintaining order, protecting citizens’ rights, and providing a framework for governance within a society. Illegals, right from the start, are breaking federal law along with the city that harbors them. Does that give everyone the right to choose what laws they should or should not keep? Anarchy
The stupidly of our local leaders is astounding.
The safest person in Eureka is now an illegal alien driving around in a stolen car. No enforcement, no cameras. The council must be so proud of themselves. Oh yeah, they are, look at all the pictures of them !! So brave !!
They should have had ICE show up at the council meeting. That would have been interesting! How about just get an ICE hat and wear it to any next meeting where the illegals are bound to show up and bully? That would be funny! Note to self- start making ICE caps to hand out, wear all over town…ha ha ha
Here’s a source: https://www.amazon.com/e4Hats-com-Immigration-Patched-High-Profile/dp/B07R95JVWJ
Nice stickers too !!!
Immigration and Customs Enforcement are technically federal law enforcement officers. I’m not for illegal immigration but it seems like people think they can do whatever they want to other people, in violation of the law, despite being against other people breaking laws. If someone is intentionally making themselves appear to be an officer of the law so that others perceive them as such, I hope they get brought up on charges of impersonating a police officer. I’m not a lawyer and won’t pretend that I know enough to say any of this holds much weight, and if it did, enough of us think or have personal experience to know that laws and prosecution is selectively applied and no one would likely be charged anyway. The Governor of Texas should have been brought up on charges of aiding illegal immigration and engaging in human trafficking, but hey, just make up and break the laws as seems fitting for political points. It’s all a charade to rile people up.
I used to occasionally wear an FBI hat to Grateful Dead lot. It was hilarious to see the reactions! Lolol!!! Just helping the people to keep it real
Not exactly on topic but related… When i visit Eureka, as i do every few weeks, i am appalled to see no change, or even a deterioration, in the homeless and trash problem. Walking around west Old Town, seeing people in tents or sleeping bags on the sidewalks, mentally ill people ranting and frothing, trash of all description from needles and condoms right up to the baffling and ubiquitous dental-floss holders among the dog and human poop… I have to marvel at the ineffectiveness of what i have to conclude is the feminine/liberal approach. Although there are two males on the city council currently, it (and the mayor) are overwhelmingly female, and i think (may be mistaken) that not long ago, women made up the entire Eureka City Council.
.
I would have thought that the very first job for a compassionate, liberal, feminine-minded group responsible for the well-being of all its citizens would have been helping get the homeless off the street. The problem is glaring for residents, occasional visitors, and the tourists who are endlessly touted as a solution to the county’s economic woes. Why is progress not being made? What weird digression into feel-good politics and virtue-signaling PC proclamations has allowed them to abandon this issue or to be satisfied with letting it slide, decade after decade?
I am disappointed and in some too-long-to-describe way, ashamed of my gender for this failure. Have a heart, ladies, and pull these people in from the cold; and while you’re at it, clean up the streets and plant some flowers and put some hearts and smiley-faces on the job!
A US government can only operate by law. There is no law that says every person who violates the law must be provided with assisted until they want to cooperate.
But don’t you think it would be better for everyone, not just the homeless or the immigrants, but for all of us, if we didn’t have destitute people begging and shitting on the city streets?
Well said. At least someone can see past the political divide and look at reality.
Put another madrone log in the wood stove. Humboldt County is literally deteriorating to complete irrelevance while the people in charge march forward, ignoring reality and common sense. The special is almost lost, along with the greater feeling of freedom. It’s a really weird thing to witness. Maybe its the destiny without consent borg. A “democracy” directed “village” immolation” which took a couple decades to march northward into our counties. It has finally achieved complete assimilation. Very sad indeed.
Thank you for saying this! I still believe I’m a liberal and a progressive. I’m not sure what the hell happened to those who call themselves that! They are confused for sure. I agree that we should be cleaning up our own mess. Mandatory drug rehab, jobs programs and we stop our slide into chaos pretending that we’re being compassionate by allowing people to sleep in garbage and defecate in public. Allowing them easy access to hard drugs. That is not being compassionate! The city council is a disgrace…
Most homeless are drug addicts or mentally ill. Some are hiding from the law and are homeless to remain anonymous. We need programs to deal with these issues. Providing food, shelter, clothing and health care only perpetuates the problem.
I’ve got to say, the Eureka City Council’s unanimous vote on March 4 to become a Sanctuary City feels like a total head-in-the-sand move. They’re acting like federal immigration law doesn’t exist, and with the Trump administration gearing up, that’s a risky game. Eureka’s basically saying they won’t help federal authorities with immigration stuff unless they absolutely have to, which is a straight-up violation of U.S. Code Title 8. That’s the law that runs the show on immigration, and ignoring it isn’t just a statement, it’s asking for trouble.
Trump’s team has already made it clear they’re coming for sanctuary cities. They’re talking deportations and cutting off federal funding to places that don’t play ball. The DOJ memo they mentioned in the staff report isn’t messing around: it says local governments can’t block immigration enforcement, and if they try, the cash dries up. We’re talking money Eureka needs for roads, schools, and keeping things running. And for what? This resolution won’t stop ICE from doing their job. It’s not like they need the Eureka PD to sign off on deportations. So the council’s just painting a target on our backs and throwing away resources on something that doesn’t even fix anything.
City Attorney Autumn Luna keeps saying it’s fine because courts are still figuring this stuff out, but with Trump in charge, I wouldn’t bet on the courts siding with Eureka. Police Chief Stephens says this is just what they’re already doing, so why make a big deal out of it? It feels like a pointless show. Councilmember Castellano’s going on about how immigrant safety matters more than funding, but that funding keeps the whole city afloat, immigrants included. And Contreras-DeLoach’s story about raids pulling families apart? It’s rough, no doubt, but federal law doesn’t bend for feelings. Moulton’s proud of her “virtue signaling” line, but that’s the problem, it’s all about looking good, not doing good.
The people cheering this on, talking about humanity and dignity, they’re missing the bigger picture. This doesn’t stop deportations or make the system fairer. It just pisses off the feds and leaves us all worse off. The council thinks they’re heroes, but honestly, they’re just screwing us over for a pat on the back. Idiots.
Well said!
Learning to drive with the Ebrake on.
There are some important facts that are being ignored here. By definition all illegal aliens are criminals. Aiding and abetting illegal aliens is a felony. A city, county or state adopting sanctuary status is Aiding and abetting illegal aliens. The governing officers are therefore wilfully committing a felony. Federal law takes precedence over state, county and city laws. Our county and state governing officers as well as peace officers are all sworn to uphold national laws. Does anyone else see the insanity in adopting sanctuary status. Federal funding to Sanctuary States, Sanctuary Counties and Sanctuary Cities can and should be withheld. Governing officers can and should be prosecuted for felonies. Peace officers are planned in a quandary to uphold Federal Laws or local laws. Remember Federal law takes precedence. The majority of US voters voted for an administration who has assured us that all illegal aliens will be deported. Those impeding Ice will be arrested. Newsome should be at the top of the list. There is a legal pathway to immigration. It is difficult but just. If the current law is bad, follow proper channels to change it. Our City Councils, County Board of Supervisors, and State governing officers should appreciate this more than the rest of us. I am ashamed of them all for their irresponsible conduct.
Remember to vote them out when the Federal shit hits the fan. Fools!! They all should look for new careers. Idiots! Putting a target on our backs. Morons! They could have called Eureka “welcoming” but not Sanctuary. No wonder Trump was voted in. Stupid! Stabbed in the back again- like the steady diet of lies and self interest agendas of fucked up politicians? Both parties are suck ups.
Missing from the article is any mention that it is Humboldt County, not Eureka, which is in charge of booking and thus the jurisdictional contact with ICE regarding illegal aliens suspected of crimes. EPD pursuing civil immigration violations was never an issue. That said, the County Counsel really should take a hard look at the liabilities the sanctuary ordinance puts on the County, given that the era of federal tolerance of local governments protecting criminal aliens from them is coming to an end. If they get legally burned in some confrontation with the federal government after all this, that’s on them. Ultimately what’s at stake is whether certain actions will be led by the local jurisdiction, with whatever protection of sensitivities that entails, or whether a federal agency that doesn’t care that much about such things will be in charge.
I emailed every council member to tell them they have committed treason. They are aiding and abetting a massive criminal invasion of America. Illegal aliens are criminals the moment they cross the border. You cannot whitewash it. These activist local politicians and human trafficking organizations like Centro Del Pueblo need to be prosecuted.
The Constitution lays out the punishment for treason. These traitors might want to peruse that amazing document for once in their wretched lives.
When does the city council members show compassion and humanity to our homeless community members that the city council fails to meet their promises of affordable housing?
They claim they need grants and federal funds to be able to provide these housing projects and now they claim that any federal funds or revenue to the city is ” less significant” than the harm it would cost to immigrants. Sounds like our city council members are placing one category of “community members” over another. Too bad the low income and homeless activists don’t have the pull to get the city council to pass some sanctuary moves for them.
[edit]
Hey I am a criminal!! Will you protect me now?
Stupid as fuck
Sanctuary cities will just be the gathering place for the last to leave.
Eureka’s Sanctuary City Status: A Well-Meaning Mistake That Hurts Residents
Eureka has officially declared itself a sanctuary city, joining the growing list of municipalities choosing to shield undocumented immigrants from federal immigration enforcement. On the surface, this may sound like a noble stance—one rooted in compassion and humanitarian values. However, in reality, this decision could create serious negative consequences for the very residents who already struggle in our community.
1. An Already Strained Job Market
Eureka is not Los Angeles. It’s not New York. It’s not a city with a booming job market or an economy capable of absorbing a massive influx of new residents. For years, people in our community have struggled to find steady employment. The jobs simply aren’t there, and wages remain low.
Now, with the sanctuary city designation, we are potentially inviting an even larger workforce into an already oversaturated job market. The laws of supply and demand tell us what happens next—wages get driven down, job opportunities become even scarcer, and struggling residents (including those who have lived here their entire lives) will be pushed even further to the margins.
2. Housing and Homelessness
Eureka’s housing crisis is no secret. Homelessness is a visible, growing problem in our streets, and affordable housing remains a pipe dream for many working-class residents. Yet, our city government has made a decision that will likely increase the demand for housing without increasing the supply.
Where will these new arrivals live? Will they have access to affordable housing that our own struggling citizens don’t? Or will we see a rise in homelessness, overcrowded housing situations, and even higher rental prices?
The moral stance of protecting undocumented immigrants does not change the harsh reality that housing is a finite resource. Without new infrastructure or support systems in place, this decision could make an already dire situation even worse.
3. The Impact on Public Services
Public services—including schools, hospitals, food banks, and social programs—are not infinite. We already experience long wait times at clinics, an overburdened healthcare system, and schools struggling with limited resources.
By encouraging an influx of undocumented individuals without additional state or federal funding to support this decision, Eureka is creating a greater strain on public services that are already stretched too thin. This doesn’t just affect new arrivals—it directly impacts the people who have lived and worked in this city for decades.
4. Who Pays for This?
The federal government is not funding Eureka’s decision to become a sanctuary city. Our local tax dollars are.
This means that while our roads, schools, and public services remain underfunded, while our own citizens struggle with joblessness and homelessness, our city leadership has chosen to prioritize a symbolic political stance over the tangible needs of the people who already live here.
Sanctuary policies might work in large metropolitan areas where industries are diverse and economic opportunities are abundant. But in a small community like Eureka, where every job and every dollar counts, this decision could end up doing far more harm than good.
Final Thoughts
The problem with feel-good political gestures is that they rarely come with real solutions. Sanctuary cities sound compassionate on paper, but when they lack the infrastructure to support their own residents, they become an act of self-sabotage.
I understand the desire to help people. But what about the people already here? What about the citizens who have worked hard their entire lives, who can’t find housing, who struggle to find jobs, who already live paycheck to paycheck? Who is protecting them?
If Eureka’s leadership wants to take bold moral stances, they should start by fixing the problems we already have before inviting new ones in. Anything less is just empty posturing at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve.