Tag: ICE

ICE Raid Near The Arc of Ventura County Day Program in Oxnard Raises Urgent Concerns for Disability Safety

On October 29, before sunrise, a large-scale federal operation took place outside The Arc of Ventura County’s Oxnard day program. Armed and masked agents blocked off the street from both ends, deploying smoke bombs and tear gas as they conducted their searches.

Thankfully, program participants had not yet arrived. Acting swiftly, The Arc of Ventura County’s staff rerouted transportation vehicles to a safe location in Ventura, ensuring that every individual with a disability and their support staff were kept out of harm’s way. Executive Director Esther Anaya was exposed to chemical agents while trying to assist nearby residents with N95 masks, who were being tear-gassed.

“Disability is not a threat—it is a set of needs,” said Anaya. “Scenes like this are uniquely risky for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Simple safeguards prevent harm.”

The Arc of California stands in solidarity with The Arc of Ventura County and strongly opposes ICE enforcement activities that endanger people with disabilities or disrupt essential services. As stated in the Board of Directors’ recent statement (read here), The Arc of California calls for a ban on ICE presence in all disability-related spaces—including regional centers, schools, clinics, community agencies, and transportation services. These must be protected zones where individuals with disabilities and their families can safely access the supports they need.

ICE operations like the one last week highlight the urgent need for commonsense safeguards:

    • Avoid enforcement activity near disability programs or service sites;
    • Ensure federal agents receive training on interacting with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities;
    • Assign disability-trained liaisons and use de-escalation protocols;
    • Never use chemical agents or flash devices near disability services.

When a disability is misinterpreted as noncompliance—such as a person avoiding eye contact, moving away, or struggling to respond quickly—the consequences can be devastating. Clear communication, slower pacing, and disability screening can prevent harm and build community trust.

The Arc of California urges all agencies to work with disability experts, including The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability, to adopt policies that keep everyone safe.

“Safety and dignity are non-partisan—they are human needs,” said Anaya. “Give us a seat at the planning table, and we can help reduce risk on day one.”

To read the Ventura County Star’s coverage of the raid, visit this link.

The Arc Board Releases Statement Strongly Opposing ICE Enforcement Activities

The Arc of California stands in firm opposition to the harmful and discriminatory immigration enforcement practices carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout California. These actions are executed by masked agents without clear identification. The agents have violated Constitutional Rights to due process and have caused fear, disruption, and trauma across entire communities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the workers who support them.

There have been several high-profile cases of U.S. citizens with disabilities being wrongfully detained and deported by ICE agents. These incidents highlight systemic failures within ICE and the federal government to protect the rights of individuals, particularly those with mental health issues or intellectual and developmental disabilities, during immigration confrontations. ICE raids, including boarding transportation vehicles, detaining caregivers, and conducting surveillance near schools, have had a chilling effect on community trust and well-being. These tactics are particularly devastating for individuals with disabilities, who rely on stable routines, trusted relationships, and consistent access to care. When a parent, caregiver, or support staff is detained or deported, the consequences are immediate: care is interrupted, trauma is inflicted, and access to services is lost.

Fear spreads far beyond those directly targeted. Students with and without disabilities are increasingly afraid to attend school. Families are avoiding regional center community-based programs, clinics, and other essential support services out of fear of being profiled or surveilled. This climate of fear violates basic civil rights and threatens all the support systems our state has worked hard to build. Even if a person has satisfactory immigration status, there is fear that their Constitutional rights to due process will not be honored and provide any protection.

Furthermore, our workforce is the backbone of California’s disability service system. Hundreds of thousands of caregivers, personal attendants, drivers, and home aides, the majority of whom are non-white individuals, work every day to ensure that people with disabilities live with dignity and independence. Just a few years ago, we all relied on these same essential workers to carry us through a pandemic, but today tactics of intimidation are creating fear, putting the entire system of community-based disability support at risk.

We call on local, state, and federal leaders to take immediate action:

  • Ban ICE presence in all disability-related spaces, including regional centers, schools, clinics, community agencies, and transportation services. These must be protected zones where individuals with disabilities and their families can get the supports and services they need.
  • Prohibit the use of masked or unidentified agents in any enforcement activity. Senate Bill 627, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), if passed will prohibit law enforcement at all levels from engaging in extreme masking to conceal their identity.
  • Enforce Constitutional rights to due process. All immigration actions must uphold basic due process and be conducted with full transparency and accountability.
  • Enact permanent protections for disability households, ensuring that no person with a disability loses a parent, guardian, or caregiver due to immigration status, and that families are not separated under any circumstance.
  • Protect and stabilize the workforce by providing legal safeguards, pathways to work authorization, and urgent protection for direct support professionals and family care workers across the state.
  • Maintain privacy of Medicaid/Medi-Cal beneficiaries following Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials being given access to the personal data of Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, which is a violation of privacy rights.

This is not just a disability issue. It is a human rights issue. We will not allow fear and cruelty to replace care and community. We demand dignity, safety, and justice for every family, every worker, and every person with a disability who calls California home.

Click HERE to view video message from Jordan Lindsey, Executive Director, The Arc of California.

Sincerely,

Pat Hornbecker, President, The Arc of California Board of Directors

Protecting Disability Communities: The Arc of California Responds to Federal Immigration Data Sharing with ICE Agents

It has been reported to The Arc of California that disability service providers in California have been targeted by ICE and that both the participants with disabilities and the direct support staff are being questioned.  Additionally, the Associated Press reported that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as CMS, this week provided Medicaid information for several states, including California, to deportation officials at the federal Department of Homeland Security.  CMS serves as the focal point for federal health insurance programs such as Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California). These critical health coverage programs serve millions of families, children, pregnant women, adults without children, and also seniors and people living with disabilities.

We do not know exactly what information was shared, but this is what we do know:

    • Families within our collective disability community are living in fear.
    • Regional centers are committed to providing services for all clients, regardless of their immigration status.
    • Regional centers do not track undocumented individuals and are NOT involved in immigration enforcement.
    • Regional centers have been instructed by the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to reach out to certain individuals and families to make sure urgent needs are addressed and services can continue.
    • Regional centers will prioritize requests for Individual Program Plan (IPP) and Individual and Family Service Plan (IFSP) updates to help with changing family needs, like more time at home or not going to summer school or summer programs.
    • Allow meetings, including IPP and IFSP meetings, to happen remotely using telephones or computers.
    • Expedite temporary housing and transportation assistance for displaced families

In response to the sharing of data between CMS and deportation officials, the California Health and Human Services Agency’s Secretary Kim Johnson has asked us to share the following message: “California’s system of developmental disability services is an entitlement for ALL eligible Californians with intellectual or developmental disabilities, regardless of who they are. We take very seriously our obligation to follow state and federal laws that protect your information and limit when and how it can be shared.”   Governor Gavin Newsom also published a response to this major violation of privacy.

The Arc of California calls on our community, including regional centers and all service providers, to courageously provide information to any and all families that may be impacted or fearful at this time.

El Arc de California and Congreso Familiar will be hosting a live webinar with Immigration Attorney Meredith Brown on Wednesday, June 18 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. via Zoom.  The webinar will be conducted in Spanish with English interpretation.  Get your questions answered and learn how you can be prepared for interactions with ICE agents.  Click HERE to register.

Here are some resources to stay informed and help navigate this situation:

At The Arc of California, we stand firmly with immigrant families in our disability community. You are not alone. Regional centers and service providers across the state are committed to protecting your rights, ensuring continued access to services, and standing against fear and discrimination. No matter your immigration status, you are valued, and you deserve to live with dignity, safety, and support. Please use the resources provided, attend the upcoming webinar, and reach out if you need help. We are here for you—always.

VIEW BY TOPIC