About 75 people bundled up to gather in front of City Hall on Monday, February 3, between 4 and 6 p.m. for a public display of unified resolve for Alameda’s Sanctuary City status.
There is no universal definition for a “Sanctuary City,” but the term typically refers to a city that limits how much it cooperates with federal agency efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.
“This gathering is a show of community support and a demand to affirm that our 2017 resolution as a Sanctuary City is as true in 2025 as it was in 2017,” states the event web page. “We have new faces in many city and departmental positions and it is important that they affirm loudly, publicly, and with the community backing them, Alameda’s Sanctuary City proclamation holds strong in 2025 and beyond, particularly in light of the new White House administration.”
The rally was organized by various local groups such as All Rise Alameda, EB-FLOW, and Third Act. Alameda resident, environmental executive, and climate champion Amos White helped organize the event and was asked to speak.
White told the Alameda Post the rally was specifically intended to bring focus to Alameda’s status as a Sanctuary City. “We want to call on the mayor and council to immediately hold a public hearing to reaffirm our Sanctuary City status and to strengthen it where needed,” he said. “Because everyone belongs and we want to make that part of our policy.”
On the City of Alameda web page titled “Immigration: Know Your Rights,” tips and resources are provided “if you have to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement officers at home, on the street, or anywhere else.” The page also addresses Alameda’s status as a Sanctuary City.
Rev. Vathanak Heang, Senior Pastor at Buena Vista United Methodist Church, speaks on February 3, 2025 in front of Alameda City Hall at the Civic Display of Unity for Alameda Sanctuary City Status.
“At its meeting on January 17, 2017, Alameda City Councilmembers voted unanimously (with one member not present) to adopt a resolution that reaffirms the City of Alameda’s commitment as a Sanctuary City to the values of dignity, inclusivity, and respect for all individuals, regardless of ethnic or national origin, gender, race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or immigration status,” reads the web page. “The City’s resolution is the latest action in a century-long tradition of embracing diversity and respecting the civil and human rights of its residents, while acknowledging and understanding laws at every level in the past were often at odds to progress.”
To White, the affirmation of Alameda’s status as a Sanctuary City is about protecting its residents and visitors.
“Here we are again, years later, protecting human and civil rights and the abuse of power and authority by our own federal government against immigrants or even American citizens who are just randomly and indiscriminately profiled and targeted because they have dark skin,” he said. “That’s not American. That’s not who we are as Alamedans either. So in support of our Sanctuary City resolution we need to come together in times like this, with this administration or any like it, to assure and affirm our protections and safety of our residents and of any visitors here in our municipality.”
Kelsey Goeres is the Managing Editor of the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Kelsey-Goeres.
