District 5 San José City Councilmember Peter Ortiz speaks during a protest against ICE in South San José on June 6, 2025. (Joseph Geha/KQED)
As increasing arrests by federal immigration authorities continue, stoking fears in immigrant communities, San José is allocating at least $1 million to support undocumented residents in the city.
As part of the city’s budget beginning on July 1, city council members on Tuesday approved dipping into reserves to shore up legal defense services, real-time community support during immigration raids and financial relief for families in crisis after arrests.
The council also agreed to consider approving an additional $500,000 toward those services later this year, if funds are available during mid-year budget reviews.
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Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who championed the increased funding, said this is the largest investment ever by San José to protect immigrants, motivated in part by what he described as the terror being inflicted on city residents by the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
“We already know our immigrant community is scared. They’re not going to school, they’re not going to work, people are scared to go to their local corner store because they are getting picked up. ICE is following people once they leave their house, as soon as they get out of their car, they get picked up,” Ortiz said Tuesday evening, after the approval vote.
“That kind of gave the motivation to the council to follow through with what I believe is San José values, a community that welcomes immigrants and stands up when they’re under attack.”
The money from the city can be used for a variety of purposes, including legal defense funds to help people “who are stuck in the deportation machine,” Ortiz said. It will also help build up the Rapid Response Network, which works to alert communities when ICE is present, observe immigration enforcement actions and inform people of their rights when they are being detained.
Some of the money could go to families who need help making ends meet after the breadwinner of their household is arrested, Ortiz said, and for long-term immigrant advocacy work to make sure communities are prepared.
The action reflects an increasingly visible commitment to build resilience and preparedness in immigrant communities in the South Bay and to match or outpace the efforts of federal agents.
Uriel Magdaleno, an organizer with the Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, chants into a megaphone during a protest outside an ICE office in South San José on June 6, 2025. (Joseph Geha/KQED)
In the past week, protests and rallies opposing the actions of ICE have taken place in San José, Oakland and San Francisco, opposing ICE arrests made at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices, ICE offices and immigration courts in those communities and across the nation.
While some of the recent escalations of immigration authorities played a role in pushing council members to approve a bigger spend, Ortiz said there were months of advocacy efforts and organizing by a coalition of South Bay groups, including Amigos de Guadalupe, Siren and the Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County.
The city’s draft budget initially included about $250,000 for immigrant support, and in a recent memo by Mayor Matt Mahan, who previously attended community meetings to hear from families directly affected by immigration enforcements, he recommended it be doubled to $500,000.
“San José’s greatest strength is our diverse community and the immensely talented people who
continue to be drawn to our valley from across the world,” Mahan wrote. “Given recent rhetoric and policy action at the federal level, we have an obligation to help our immigrant community.”
Maritza Maldonado, the executive director of Amigos de Guadalupe, said her organization is focused on ensuring residents and families feel empowered “to speak truth to power” about their experiences.
“Our community will protect itself once they’re empowered to do so and see wins like what we just saw with the $1 million,” she said. “We’re in it for the long game, and it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s smart organizing, it’s strategic and it’s bringing our leaders along.”
She said the city’s efforts will be a boon and complement the $5 million in additional immigrant support funding Santa Clara County pledged in December, following the election. But more support from other government agencies, individuals and philanthropic groups will be needed to sustain the efforts, she added.
“These dollars are more critical than ever,” Maldonado said. “Our work is about our neighbors and all of us as a community rising up together as one.”
