Could Clovis become Fresno County’s first ‘non-sanctuary’ city? Why one leader supports it
At a time when Fresno and other cities are pursuing “sanctuary city” policies or declaring that their police won’t help with federal deportation efforts, a Clovis leader sought to take the opposite approach and declare the city a “non-sanctuary.”
That was the intent behind a push by Mayor Pro-tem Diane Pearce to make Clovis the first “non-sanctuary” city in Fresno County, as the Orange County city of Huntington Beach did last month. Such a designation would defy state law prohibiting local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration law.
On Tuesday, Pearce called on her council colleagues to schedule a discussion and potential vote on declaring Clovis a non-sanctuary city.
It’s unclear what a non-sanctuary city is, exactly, though Huntington Beach said the intent of its resolution is to “deliberately sidestep” the state and “announce the City’s cooperation with the federal government.”
Pearce launched her push for the non-sanctuary city status last week on Facebook, saying that it was a question of public safety. She urged members of the public on Facebook to attend Tuesday’s meeting and speak in support of the idea.
“Huntington Beach is asking for other law and order cities to join them. We will be so much stronger together. And I, for one, am not going to ask Governor Newsom or Attorney General Rob Bonta for permission to protect our citizens,” Pearce said Tuesday.
“Clovis citizens expect us to work with the new (Trump) administration,” she said.
About half-dozen Clovis residents spoke in favor of the idea, while three others also spoke in opposition.
The idea failed to gain consensus with the council.
Councilmembers Drew Bessinger and Matt Bagsall said it could get the city and police officers in legal trouble.
“If we declare ourselves a non-sanctuary city, I’m fairly certain that the legal ramifications on that are going to be that this Attorney General (Rob Bonta) would not hesitate to take action against our city and against individual law enforcement officers,” Bessinger said.
With limited exceptions, California state law prohibits local and state law enforcement from assisting with federal immigration enforcement.
“I’m a no and the reason is you’re going to be asking Clovis police officers to violate the law,” Bagsall said. Bagsall is the former Clovis Police Chief.
Bagsall said that police enforces state law, not federal law. Several councilmembers and residents expressed disagreement with the state law limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Bagsall also said he heard Pearce go on local radio saying several community members asked her to push for the non-sanctuary designation, but he’s heard the opposite from constituents.
Addressing Pearce, he said: “Where you’re saying you had a lot of people contact you about how they want to pursue this, I had a lot of people call me and say, ‘What are you guys doing? Why would you do something like this?’”
Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck called for “something more constructive,” such as a lobbyist or a caucus of like-minded cities.
It’s unclear whethern there will be further attempts to declare a “non-sanctuary city.”
Pearce took to Facebook following Tuesday’s meeting, calling her colleagues’ decision “a travesty.”
There is no universal definition for a sanctuary city. According to the American Immigration Council, a sanctuary policy generally refers to a state’s or locality’s role in cooperating with federal authorities to enforce immigration law. However, these policies do not actively prevent federal immigration enforcement officials from carrying out their duties.
Why some Clovis residents support a ‘non-sanctuary city’
John Gerardi, a Clovis resident and nonprofit attorney said, “if Clovis police, in their work, come across someone with a long rap sheet who isn’t in the country legally, they should have the latitude to be able to communicate with federal immigration authorities.”
Clovis resident and conservative talk show host Eric Rollins spoke in favor of the non-sanctuary status and applauded Huntington Beach’s declaration.
“If we join them, I believe that we begin to spearhead a movement to change our state,” he said.
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“The state law making California a sanctuary state is a very bad and immoral law,” said Don Watnick. ”We should be standing against this law.”
One Clovis resident originally from Chihuahua, Mexico said she lost her brother to cartel violence and described how several other family members experienced violence, extortion and financial ruin at the hands of a cartel.
“I don’t want them here,” she said. “Either you do something about it, support Diane…or do nothing, and you and your family will be next,” she said.
Some Clovis residents oppose non-sanctuary city
Three Clovis residents voiced opposition to the idea, saying it would go against Clovis’s image of a welcoming community. Some thought the city should focus on more bread-and-butter issues.
“We simply must end this narrative that being undocumented means being a violent criminal,” Clovis resident Tracy Bohren said.
Several studies debunk the Trump talking piece that undocumented people are “criminals” and “delinquents.”
According to an analysis by the American Immigration Council, higher immigrant population shares are not associated with higher crime rates. Other studies show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born Americans.
Clovis resident and former council candidate Joe Hebert said he doesn’t support the measure because he hadn’t seen any in-depth analysis and it’s not a priority for residents who care about day-to-day issues like high PG&E bills. Plus, Clovis is one of the safety communities in the Central Valley, he said.
He chalked the push for a non-sanctuary city up to creating controversy.
“We manufacture an issue, we get all riled up, and then we try to make ourselves relevant, and we fight about it. But if it’s not our lane, let’s stay out of it,” Hebert said.
“I don’t know what the purpose of this is, other than to make a statement,” he said.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Could Clovis become Fresno County’s first ‘non-sanctuary’ city? Why one leader supports it."
