Wednesday, March 25, 2026

ICE, Police Forum Finds Residents Seeking Reassurance

By EDDIE RIVERA

More than 200 gather as City officials face questions on policing, policy and trust

More than 200 residents filled Gilmore Hall at First Church of the Nazarene Tuesday evening, gathering for a town hall that underscored a widening gap between official assurances and everyday perceptions, as Pasadenans grapple with the presence of federal immigration enforcement.

The meeting, at times tense and deeply personal, centered on seven pre-submitted questions about the role of Pasadena police when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates in the city.

But as the evening unfolded, it became clear that the questions extended far beyond policy.

“There’s fear, there’s anger, there’s been family separation,” said Pastor Mayra Macedo-Nolan of the Clergy Community Coalition, who co- moderated the forum. “There’s real anguish in our community.”

On stage, Police Chief Gene Harris, City Manager Miguel Márquez and Mayor Victor Gordo explained the limits of local authority.

Pasadena police, Harris stressed, don’t participate in immigration enforcement and operate under state law that restricts cooperation with federal agencies.

He acknowledged the absence of a clearly articulated, public-facing policy.

Residents pressed for specifics — when officers are informed of ICE activity, what guidance do they receive, and why does communication with the community appear inconsistent.

Harris said officers are briefed internally,  but could not provide a timeline for releasing a formal policy.

For many in attendance, that uncertainty has translated into fear.

“We feel like we cannot call the police department for protection,” one resident said, voicing a sentiment that echoed across the room.

Others described encounters they believe blurred the line between local policing and federal enforcement, raising concerns about whether Pasadena officers might, at times, be assisting or enabling ICE operations.

The case of José Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, surfaced repeatedly. Madera was arrested on the morning of January 7 — the anniversary of the devastating Eaton Fire — while observing ICE activity. Prosecutors declined to file charges, but residents questioned why official language left open the possibility of future action.

City Attorney Michele Bagneris, who was seated in the audience,  said the City could not alter that language, citing state law.

Talk also turned to the Pasadena Job Center, a longstanding institution in Pasadena now facing potential displacement due to a possible development of the property. Mayor Gordo said he had not been aware of the plans when first asked months earlier but committed publicly to ensuring that the city continues to have a worker center.

“There is a process,” Gordo said, emphasizing that both redevelopment decisions and any relocation effort would be public and include community input.

Still, some residents said they felt excluded from those conversations.

“We don’t know who the folks are that are representing us,” one speaker said, expressing concern about decisions being made “behind closed doors.”

At other moments, the tone shifted toward cautious engagement.

Jesus Cuevas, a formerly incarcerated student, spoke about bridging divides, asking whether the city could create pathways for people like him — including those who are undocumented — to help communicate policy and build trust.

“I will give you 100 percent trust that many might not be willing to give you,” he said.

Harris responded by pointing to ongoing efforts within the police department to expand community engagement and training, acknowledging that trust must be earned over time.

As the meeting drew to a close, organizers summarized what they felt was clear and what wasn’t.

Chief Harris reiterated that Pasadena police officers cannot proactively share information about ICE activity, if sharing would violate federal law, and acknowledged that communication gaps still remain.

For Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the evening was neither a breakthrough nor a failure.

“I don’t take this type of meeting as the beginning or the end of anything,” he said afterward. “It’s a conversation.”

But, he added, conversation alone doesn’t resolve the deeper concern voiced throughout the night.

“I’m a US citizen, and I have an accent, and my skin is brown, so I carry a US passport with me. The general feeling among people is like, ‘we’re on our own,’” Alvarado said. Even as a U.S. citizen, he noted, he worries about how encounters with federal agents can unfold. “When it comes down to that kind of enforcement in the streets, we’re on our own.”

For residents leaving the hall, the meeting offered some answers — and many reminders of what remains unsettled.

What happens next, Alvarado suggested, will matter more than what was said.

“What have they learned?” he asked. “What’s going to be the new practice?”