Riverside City Council members are expected to discuss Tuesday, Oct. 14, whether to create identification standards for federal agents who are involved in immigration enforcement operations in the city.
The proposal, spearheaded by Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who is running for state Assembly, comes on the heels of a new California law banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks.
“One of the biggest things I’m emphasizing,” Cervantes said of the proposal, “is our commitment to serving and protecting all of our residents … and ensuring that they can live in their city and come out to have access to their parks and facilities we fund to support them.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area, as well as the protests against them, grabbed national attention earlier this, but masked ICE agents in unmarked vehicles have also visited Inland Empire cities.
Under the resolution proposed by Cervantes, the Riverside Police Department would monitor federal officers operating within the city, create data privacy protections, bolster the city’s efforts to educate citizens on their rights, and possibly provide $50,000 to nonprofits that provide legal aid.
The resolution is a response to “increasing reports of ongoing immigration enforcement operations” within Riverside, according to report prepared by city staff in advance of Tuesday’s meeting. Officers would be required to provide clear identification, with their name and badge number, and they would not be allowed to conceal their identities with masks. The resolution also prohibits the city from sharing information about residents to federal agencies.
The council may also set aside $50,000 in a legal justice fund in partnership with immigrants’ rights groups, civil rights and legal aid organizations. The council may consider a $50,000 match if an agreed upon partner organization can raise $50,000 on its own, for a total of $100,000, according to the report.
“We want to make sure that this is a community safety resolution because we need to make sure that people know that there’s not masked vigilantes that are potentially kidnapping, or going to take advantage of the situation we’re seeing right now,” Cervantes said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “No Secret Police Act” in September, banning most local and federal law enforcement, including ICE agents, from concealing their identities while on duty. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The Riverside City Council will discuss Cervantes’ resolution at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall, 3900 Main St.
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