A discussion among Santa Clara County supervisors about everyday gardening tools took an unexpected turn this week as concerns about immigration surfaced.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted against Board President Otto Lee’s proposal to ban gas-powered leaf blowers in unincorporated neighborhoods. Some supervisors expressed concerns that the law could unintentionally encourage residents—bothered by the noise of the equipment—to call the police or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on laborers who may be undocumented.
District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas was the first to voice her concerns. “I just don’t want it to be a reason for residents to report immigrants doing their jobs… either to get people in trouble with ICE or the police,” Arenas said during the meeting. “This could send a message that if we’re passing this ordinance, people will come and ask, ‘How are you enforcing this?’ It creates an atmosphere where people could misuse it.”
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