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Date:9/23/2025 3:57:44 PM
From:"Kelsey Gordon"
To:"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Protect Anaheim Residents with a Removal Defense Fund and Streamline Administrative Barriers to
Increase Service Access
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Dear
Anaheim City Council Members,
My name
is Kelsey and I am a member of the Orange County Rapid Response Network and an Anaheim resident. It is urgent that the Mayor and
Anaheim City Council Members act to protect Anaheim residents both in and outside of im migration detention.
I commend the City of Anaheim for initial steps towards this by starting the Anaheim Contigo fund. However, c ommunity members report
significant administrative barriers, leaving many unable to access funding. W ith many people dis appeared out of our c ommunity by
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and related agencies, community members urgently need access to these funds to stabilize
their economic well-being. The Mayor and Council Members must move to streamline administrative barriers to the Anaheim
Contigo fund to increase access to vital services for our communities.
The Mayor
and Council Members must also move to partner with non-profit legal service providers to
provide
removal defense legal services for Anaheim residents
impacted by the callous immigration raids running rampant across the county. People
detained by these agencies face abuse and inhumane
conditions–with
Black
migrants nearly twice as likely to experience abuse
while in immigration detention compared to non-Black migrants–often without any legal repres entation. Mos t recently, one Orange
County community member died while in custody.
Increasing
access to the Contingo fund and providing removal defense legal services would send a powerful message that the City of Anaheim is
committed to prioritizing the safety of its residents. Thank you for your consideration.