Indio City Council Approves Request for ICE Detention Data

The Indio City Council voted 3-2 Wednesday night to formally request immigration enforcement data from the Department of Homeland Security, marking the first step in what officials hope will become an ongoing transparency effort.

The measure, introduced by Councilmember Oscar Ortiz, authorizes the city to submit a Freedom of Information Act request seeking information about Indio residents detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the past year.

The requested data includes immigration status, detention locations, and length of custody.

"We're looking to take that first step in building up transparency here, but also continuing that work on other ends as well to make sure we're getting as much information and as much help to the local families as we need to," Ortiz said prior to the vote.

The initiative comes amid heightened ICE activity in the Coachella Valley, where community members have reported difficulty locating detained individuals. Sandra Reyes, program manager at Todec Legal Center, emphasized the value of the data for understanding immigration enforcement's local impact.

"To have this transparency in the data, we can have this kind of map, we can see the real impact that this immigration enforcement is affecting our cities," Reyes said.

Advocates note that only non-identifying, general data would be shared under the request, which could also reveal information about conditions within detention facilities.

City officials expect a response from DHS within a couple of weeks. The council is expected to discuss whether to continue submitting similar requests in the future, with each requiring council approval.