Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition members urged the Los Gatos Town Council to take a stance against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a council meeting on Tuesday. The appeal followed a silent vigil held to honor the victims of ICE-related violence outside the Los Gatos Town Hall.
Representatives of LGARC, including the coalition’s founder and president Jeff Suzuki, condemned ICE actions during the town hall meeting. The speakers called on council members to reconsider cooperation with the agency by refusing to provide them with resources and information. During their speeches, they emphasized the locality of the issue and referenced neighboring counties’ concrete efforts to oppose the agency and refuse collaboration.
“I don’t think in any sane world that is truly democratic, we would simply sit there in silence,” Suzuki said. “It’s very important our town government make their voices heard on this particular issue, and we will continue showing up until you do. We will not stop until we hear what you have to say about this issue.”
LGARC Vice Chair Nigel Chandler has been involved with the coalition for several years and regularly takes part in events, highlighting the importance of local action during a time of political unrest in his speech.
“Amidst all the chaos we see with the wars, embargoes, kidnapping and murders of heads of state and the bombings of elementary schools abroad, the state of the world is a little unhinged,” Chandler said. “I’m not asking you to solve all that as council. I’m not asking you to solve any wars or to stop war crimes, but you can certainly act in the ways you can. You can certainly follow the precedent of our other towns in this area. And you should. We must stand united with our region, for divided we shall fall.”
The coalition also organized a silent vigil that preceded the town hall meeting. Participants gathered outside Los Gatos Town Hall, holding candles and signs criticizing ICE while displaying large poster boards listing out the names of all individuals who were killed in ICE operations in 2025 and 2026. After twenty minutes, the group paraded into the town hall.
LGARC member Lee Quintana has attended commissions and council meetings for the past 30 years. She pointed out concerns like apprehending individuals without warrants and a lack of a clear legal process for immigrants, which have motivated her to continue showing up to demonstrations and championing her beliefs.
“We need to take responsibility for what’s happening and make our voices heard because that’s what we’re supposed to do in a democracy,” Quintana said. “To me, it’s really sad, not only for the individuals who are being retained, but we’re breaking up families. ICE is not following the direction Trump said was going to be followed, that only the worst of criminal offenders would be targeted. Unfortunately, he seems to consider getting a parking ticket or moving violation as a major criminal bad act.”
The Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition was founded in July 2020 following an anti-racism protest at Los Gatos High School and encourages community members to advocate for important issues like rental assistance and immigration. They hold vigils and town hall speeches several times a month and recently received the State of the County Community Hero Award for their service. They began organizing vigils during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term to push conversations about ICE into the town hall agenda.
“It’s become normal to watch agents of the state kill people — for us to sit on our couches and say the best thing we can do is nothing,” Suzuki said. “In order for there to be any sort of hope this ends, we have to be able to call things out that are wrong, even if we feel temporarily powerless to change the past. We can’t bring the dead back to life, but we’ve seen what the consequences of silence look like in American society already.”