An Inland Empire mayor is warning residents to stay home after reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in his city.
“The city of Perris has received reports of ongoing ICE operations within the area,” Perris Mayor Michael Vargas said in a video posted on the city’s Instagram and Facebook pages on Wednesday, July 9. “We urge all residents to remain calm, stay indoors when possible, and know your rights. Do not go out unless necessary and do not open the door to strangers.”
For update, see: Perris residents back mayor’s suggestion to stay home to avoid ICE
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that, as of 2024, 78.3% of Perris’s estimated 83,032 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino.
“The city is committed to protecting the dignity and well-being of all our residents,” Vargas concluded.
City spokesperson Stephen Hale declined to comment on the mayor’s post or the circumstances that led to it.
“We have nothing further to add,” Hale wrote in an email Wednesday. “Mayor’s statement in the video speaks for itself.”
Between June 6 and June 22, immigration agents arrested more than 1,600 people in the greater Los Angeles region, including at car washes, construction sites and day laborer hubs such as Home Depot parking lots. The crackdown has sent shockwaves throughout Southern California, leading to a host of community-run rapid response networks tracking and sharing information about immigration enforcement efforts.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment about operations in Perris.
In a joint statement issued by the city Thursday, July 10, City Councilmembers Marisela Nava and Malcolm Corona said they were “deeply disturbed and disappointed” with immigration officers’ conduct and ICE operations.
They criticized officers for wearing masks, not identifying themselves and for “accosting and intimidating our community.”
“This goes beyond the original stated intentions of going after violent criminals as we are now seeing actions targeted at those with no criminal past,” the statement said. “We are also very concerned that residents are being harassed who are legal residents based on how they look, speak or their occupation.”
Perris City Councilmember Elizabeth Vallejo said in a statement that city officials are pondering ways to share resources with their residents and inform them of their rights.
“We sincerely thank our residents for continuing to look out for one another during these challenging times,” Vallejo said, according to the statement, also released Thursday. “We will persevere as a community and that is what makes Perris a truly special place.”
On Tuesday, July 8, President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, vowed that immigration agents would “double down, triple down on sanctuary cities.”
“Why? Not because they’re a blue city or a blue state,” he said, referring to areas that historically vote for the Democratic Party, “but because we know that’s where the problem is.”
In May, the Trump administration labeled Riverside County as a “sanctuary jurisdiction,” along with all but 10 of California’s 58 counties. The list was widely criticized for being inaccurate or out of date, and was later deleted by the Department of Homeland Security. Perris was not listed as a sanctuary city.
Although Riverside County continues to deny that it’s a sanctuary jurisdiction, in January, the county Board of Supervisors voted to create a web page of resources on immigration issues, request looking at local Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, participants and other “law-abiding” undocumented immigrants, and seek funding to support immigrants facing deportation proceedings.
The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed frustration with California governments, accusing local leaders of interfering with enforcement efforts.
In 2017, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 54, the “California Values Act,” into law. The law prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from making their resources available to federal immigration enforcement agencies, except in the case of violence. In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge brought against the law by the first Trump administration.
“It’s unfortunate to see masked agents arresting individuals within our community of Perris,” Vargas wrote in an email on Thursday. “Our hearts go out to those impacted by these policies. We encourage our residents to remain informed and to know their rights. The City of Perris remains committed to protecting the dignity and well-being of all our residents. However, the City of Perris does not have the legal jurisdiction to interfere with federal immigration officials during their investigations and as such we do not have the ability to do much beyond encouraging residents to research and to know their legal rights.”
Staff writer Jeff Horseman contributed to this report.
More about immigration enforcement in Southern California
- Fast-track deportation canceled for 3 detained in Pomona Home Depot immigration sweep
- Trump administration labels San Bernardino, Riverside counties as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’
- Home Depot’s day laborer haven turns into immigration target across Southern California
- Federal officers, more than a dozen military vehicles descend on MacArthur Park
- ICE raids derail Southern California economy as workers go into hiding
- Perris residents back mayor’s suggestion to stay home to avoid ICE
