Camarillo, CA – Yesterday, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) held a press conference outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Camarillo. Joined by faith leaders, community organizers, and fellow elected officials, Congresswoman Brownley condemned the brutality of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s immigration enforcement operations and demanded an immediate end to the Trump administration’s lawlessness and lack of accountability.
“We are united by a shared belief that every life has worth, and that we cannot stand by quietly or passively while brutality goes unchallenged,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “All people deserve to live in safety, free from fear and free from violence at the hands of their own government. That is why I have stood against funding for an agency that has operated without meaningful oversight or accountability and that has, far too often, inflicted harm and terror on communities across this country.”
“This moment demands action – not words alone,” continued Congresswoman Brownley. “We are demanding concrete reforms to rein in the Department of Homeland Security, restore accountability, and end these lawless practices. We are demanding that Kristi Noem be fired. We are demanding an end to warrantless arrests, stopping raids in places of care and refuge like churches and schools. And we are demanding that those responsible for violence and wrongdoing are held fully accountable, including at the highest levels of leadership.”
“We must be not only angry, but gentle with ourselves and each other,” said Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford, Co-Chair of CLUE VC (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice Ventura County). “We can’t stay with anger forever, consumed by our rage. We must decide what we are going to do about it, and we must join with others to make a difference, to act for good. So, I ask you today to focus your anger, to join with others in this work, and to transform our outrage into strong words and action. Then, let us hope that justice will come to more and more of our people.”
“Our community is strong because of its diversity. We will continue standing up against this overreach of power to protect our rights, peace, and neighbors,” said California State Assemblymember Steve Bennett, 38th District.
“Our communities will not feel safe until ICE stops their terror — we should not be afraid to leave our homes,” said Ventura County Supervisor Vianey Lopez, Fifth District. “We should be able to lean on each other in this time of crisis, for the good of the constituencies we all represent. And we should not be afraid to speak up to the injustices we see everyday. We must do better, and I ask that leaders in this county recognize the climate we are in and the role they can play to support our communities.”
“I think I speak for all the clergy here today when I say that we are answering a moral call to seek justice for immigrant communities here in Ventura County,” said Pastor Erik Halseth, Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura. “Whether it is farmworkers being chased through fields, families afraid to send their children to schools, people being disappeared off of our streets or killed on them, it is time for change. The faith traditions of all of us gathered here today, teach us about the inherent dignity of every human being. When people are denied human dignity, it is time to look in the mirror and ask ourselves where we stand. When institutions create fear instead of safety, our communities pay a moral and social price. When laws are twisted into a cruel instrument, it is time to act.”
“Now is the time to extend grace, as we move forward to save the country we love and reaffirm humanity and dignity of all,” Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo, Vice Mayor of the City of Camarillo and Executive Director of Friends of Fieldworkers.
“We cannot lose sight of why these tactics are being used against communities. It’s to keep us in silent complicity while immigrant families are being torn apart,” said Genevieve Flores-Haro, Associate Director of the Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project. “We have to remember the people behind the statistics. The 32 deaths in ICE detention last year are not numbers. They are fathers, mothers, farmworkers, and beloved community members. Someone’s ser querido. People like Jaime Alanis Garcia, Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti — their deaths were preventable. This is unacceptable.”
Brownley was joined by a number of community leaders, including:
- Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools
- Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller, Temple Beth Torah, Ventura
- Father Tom Elewaut, Mission Basilica San Buenaventura
- Dr. Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios, Mayor, City of Ventura
- Luis McArthur, Mayor, City of Oxnard
- Gabe Teran, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Oxnard
- Michaela Perez, Councilmember, City of Oxnard
- Gabriela Basua, Councilmember, City of Oxnard
- Dr. Martha McQueen-Legohn, Mayor, City of Port Hueneme
- Laura Hernandez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Port Hueneme
- Carlos Juarez, Mayor, City of Santa Paula
- Pedro Chavez, Councilmember, City of Santa Paula
- Gabby Ornelas, Councilmember, City of Santa Paula
- Albert Mendez, Mayor, City of Fillmore
- Christina Villasenor, Councilmember, City of Fillmore
- Tie Gutierrez, Councilmember, City of Thousand Oaks
- Deborah Klein-Lopez, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Agoura Hills
- Karen Sher, President, Oxnard Union High School District
- Cynthia Salas, Trustee, Oxnard School District
- Bev Dransfeldt, Chair, Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District
- Ashley Orozco, Director, Conejo Recreation and Park District
- Hannah Lee, Representative for Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin
- Lupe Lopez Garcia, Representative for Senate President Pro Tempore Monique Limón
- Willie Lubka, Buen Vecino
- Denae Lassan, 805 Immigrant Coalition
- Joseph Dobzynski, 805 Immigrant Coalition
Photos from the press conference can be found here. A transcript of Congresswoman Brownley’s remarks at the press conference can be found here.
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Issues: 119th Congress, Immigration