Bay Area Headlines

ICE response plan in the works for Santa Clara County

KALW | By Cara Nguyen

Published September 16, 2025 at 2:41 PM PDT

A screenshot of the Santa Clara County's Board Meeting. Supervisor Betty Duong smiles behind a microphone, with bottom text reading: "Board of Supervisors 9/16/25, 10. Referral: Immigration Enforcement Response Plan" — Supervisor Betty Duong will continue working on the Immigration Enforcement Response plan with Vice President Sylvia Arenas to present at the November board meeting.

Today,Santa Clara County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to begin planning to use county staff and services to respond to ICE raids.

Supervisor Betty Duong and Vice President Sylvia Arenas co-authored the legislation.

“It is our responsibility as elected servants, as public servants, to ensure the safety of everyone in our community, no matter what the status, no matter who they are,” says Supervisor Duong.

They said that together, they’ll create a plan to sustain and expand immigration legal services, establish an emergency reserve, and figure out a way to pay for it.

Over 40 percent of Santa Clara County residents are immigrants. Almost 20 percent of those residents are undocumented.

Since last year, Santa Clara County has pledged a total of $13 million dollars towards supporting immigrant communities. That’s high, compared to other Bay Area counties. San Francisco has given $3 million, San Mateo County has given $1.75 million, and Alameda County has given $3.5 million.

Supervisor Duong and Vice President Arenas will return to the board with a more detailed plan in November.

In San Francisco, I’m Cara Nguyen. KALW News.