The El Monte City Council will vote July 9 on the Police Department’s position of only requiring outside enforcement agents to identify themselves on a case-by-case basis.

Within this policy, local law enforcement will not be required to routinely identify federal agents engaged in immigration enforcement. Instead, they will do so at each police officer’s discretion, according to a July 4 staff report to the Council.

The department referred to the California Values Act (SB 54) as a legal delineation that discourages local police departments from engaging in “proactive immigration enforcement activities under the jurisdiction of federal agencies,” the report read.

“This discretionary approach allows officers to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of our community.  It strikes a balance between respecting outside jurisdictions and safeguarding our residents against unauthorized or improper enforcement actions,” the department wrote. “We will continue to serve in a transparent and collaborative manner that places the needs and concerns of our residents at the forefront of our public safety mission.”

Stepped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforcement has been reported cities across the country. Protests in response to the arrests sparked protests that sparked President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard and U.S. Marine troops to Los Angeles. Local officials have broadly condemned the deployment as well as the raids themselves.

Administration officials say the immigration enforcement is aimed at dangerous felons and have been successful in detaining many people here illegally with criminal records. Critics say many people without criminal backgrounds, including U.S. Citizens – have been detained by officers, often masked with no official uniform or markings, who fail to identify themselves as designate that they are immigration agents.

El Monte has been affected by ICE raids. For example, the ICE Facebook page posted a video June 13 of agents handcuffing two men in El Monte, pushing them into an unmarked car.

With many people sheltering-in-place to avoid detainment, the city recently launched an effort to ensure that residents of the city will still be able to access food, legal aid and more in a program called “El Monte Cares,” modeled after similar programs established at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local comedian Johnny Roque posted a flyer on Instagram encouraging people to attend the July 9 City Council meeting to show support and togetherness for the community.

“With everything that’s changing, everything that’s happening right now, community organization is very important,” Roque said.