Corona Residents Call For Action After Increase In Immigration Enforcement Activity

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include statements from the city received after publication.

Corona residents last week called on the council to take action following days of increased federal immigration enforcement activity in the city.

“Corona should not support and contribute to making it easy for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] to kidnap, detain or put fear into our communities,” Corona resident Kristi Marquardt said at the November 19 meeting. “Our community is suffering, and the law-abiding people are scared.”

Marquardt was one of about a dozen people who shared their concerns about the increase in immigration enforcement activity across the city. 

Alan Vargas, who also spoke at the meeting, said in an interview with The Riverside Record, that the call to attend the council meeting was in direct response to enforcement activity on November 16. Vargas — who works with the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ), the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center (PEOC) and community group We Protect Corona — said federal agents were seen driving erratically, running red lights and randomly stopping and questioning Latino residents and workers.

“Usually it’s slow, but what we saw in Corona was a bigger escalation than usual,” Vargas, who is also a Corona resident, said. “Usually they would raid an area, but they were roaming around the entire city.”

Victoria Hibbard, another Corona resident who spoke at the meeting, said federal agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also used Corona City Hall as a staging area.

“Border Patrol agents are racially profiling our community,” Hibbard said. “They were literally picking people off Sixth Street, just anybody that essentially couldn’t either answer their questions or didn’t give them information when they asked if they were a legal citizen.”

Along with raising awareness of what was happening in the city, the speakers also asked that the council take action to ensure federal agents were following state and local laws and to find ways to better protect the city’s residents, roughly 47% of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to Census data.

“We know who we can point you to for concrete, simple steps that do not risk you, that do not ask you to be brave,” Corona resident Brianna Wilcox said at the meeting. “We just ask you to lead.”

Vargas also provided the council with a copy of an executive order signed by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson that prohibited use of the city’s property for staging areas, processing locations or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement purposes.

“I am now kicking the ball in your court, because we now have an item here that is actionable that can be done,” Vargas told the council. “Let’s get to work, because we’ve got some work to do, especially for the hundreds of people who live in our city who are afraid to go out right now.”

In an emailed statement to The Record, Corona Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Robert Montanez said the city follows SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, which limits the use of local resources for federal immigration enforcement activities.

“We want all community members to feel safe seeking help when they need it,” the statement said. “If anyone witnesses or suspects that someone may be in danger — including possible kidnapping, assault, or any unlawful activity — we urge them to call 911.”

The city echoed Montanez’s statements in an email to The Record.

“The city does not engage in civil immigration enforcement and does not use city resources to do so, except as required by law,” the email said. “Our longstanding policies ensure that local services are provided without regard to immigration status and remain consistent with state requirements. Local law enforcement responds to safety concerns, not immigration status.”

Montanez said outside agencies conducting operations in the city typically contact the department to let local officers know of their presence, but could not say specifically if the department had been made aware of the November 16 enforcement activity. The Record has filed a California Public Records Act request, but has not yet received a response.

The city said it was not notified that unmarked vehicles associated with federal agencies had been in the public parking lot, but said that the lack of prior notice was “not uncommon.”

As for the council, the email said that no formal action has been scheduled in response to immigration enforcement activity in the city.

“We understand this is an emotional and difficult topic for many in our community,” the email said. “The city’s role is limited to local services and public safety, while immigration policy and enforcement decisions are made at the federal level. We encourage residents who want to share concerns or seek changes in policy to reach out to their federal representatives, who have oversight of these laws and agencies.”