Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced Fresno will not be a sanctuary city for its undocumented immigrants, and the people are responding.

Jan. 25 Brand said he does not plan to make Fresno a sanctuary city because there is a possibility the city could be made ineligible to receive millions of dollars to fund new infrastructure and other projects.

Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions that have laws or rules that deliberately obstruct immigration enforcement or shield undocumented immigrants from detection.

In response, over 100 people made a trip to City Hall on Jan. 27 to voice their disapproval and concerns over Brand’s decision.

Various members of the community addressed the crowd. Some spoke in Spanish, others in English.

Regardless of language barriers, the message from protesters was clear: “Fresno Stands With Our Undocumented Community.”

Ariana Martinez Lott, Fresno State alumna, said this is important to her because of the relationships she has with families and friends who are affected by the recent immigration rhetoric.

“This was almost like the breaking point,” Martinez Lott said. “Realizing that not even our local government and our mayor is willing to stand up for us.”

She said she has witnessed an ongoing journey for the undocumented people she knows.

“Not just with this new president, but with the hopes of Obama’s presidency coming out with immigration reform. [They] are trying to figure out what is going to happen — what’s coming up for them,” Martinez Lott said.

She said undocumented families need to see others are standing up for them and with them.

“There’s such a false perception of who [the] undocumented are,” Martinez Lott said. “They’re not criminals, but they’re also not victims.”

She said the community needs to realize that immigrants are not here to just take things, but that they are actively participating in society.

“It’s heartbreaking and it’s infuriating to see the kind of rhetoric that our [president] is trying to tell about our undocumented community, and also our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Martinez Lott said.

Connie Vang, a Fresno State graduate student, said that she has been politically active all her life. Once she started college, her political voice took a back seat. However, once the political climate shifted and Donald Trump took office as president, she felt inclined to become politically active again.

“It fuels something in you, and it really [made] me realize that I do need to make a difference,” Vang said.

She said people may discredit the value of a rally, but said it is symbolic and important.

“I want to be here. I want to show that I am here physically and that I support all of Fresno,” Vang concluded.

Zacarias Gonzalez, a Fresno State graduate student said, “I am here in solidarity with my undocumented brothers and sisters. We are here to resist the [alternative] right, conservative agenda of Lee Brand that he’s now imposing.”

Gonzalez said the announcement of Fresno’s sanctuary city status isn’t surprising.

“We all have family and friends and peers who are undocumented, on campus as well,” Gonzalez said. “So we are here to show that we are not just going to sit back and allow this to happen.”

He said his initial reaction to Brand’s decision was anger, but he then realized it fueled his actions and determination to continue advocating for immigrants.

Daisy Cruz, a Fresno State student, said, “I am here because I am fighting for my people.”

Cruz said the issue is very personal because her family is made up of immigrants who have been deported multiple times. Her goal for coming out to the rally was to to ensure that all people feel safe in Fresno.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of being a sanctuary city. But I feel that, with this going on, we will be able to make that happen for our people,” Cruz said.

Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula for District 31 first spoke in Spanish to address the Spanish-speaking audience, then addressed the rest of the English-speaking crowd.

“Those who are fighting to become members of our community are still dreaming. I have a dream —  that we are all the same, and that we all have the same basic rights,” Arambula said.

Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria said her family members who were immigrants were able to go through the legalization process, raise five children and become civically engaged in their community.

“I am a very proud child of farmworkers, so that’s why this issue is very personal to me,” Soria said.

She said it was very disappointing to hear that Brand would not grant Fresno sanctuary status.

Soria said she spoke with Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, who said the existing policy of local law enforcement only enforcing local laws will continue to be upheld.

“We see you. We stand with you,” event organizer Martinez Lott said.