Thank you for your patience. We appreciate you contacting the Office of Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes, District 2. Our office values your voice and takes every comment into consideration.

We firmly believe that APD should not be collaborating with ICE, and that ICE’s presence does not make Austin safe. Councilwoman Fuentes continues to push for APD to modify their General Orders to educate and train officers on how to interact with our immigrant community in a respectful, professional, and humane manner.

Councilwoman Fuentes continues to advocate for the safety and the well-being of our immigrant community. She, along with Mayor Pro Tem Vela and Councilman Velásquez, have been in close communication with APD Chief Lisa Davis to discuss how our local police department is protecting our community, especially our immigrant community during our current political climate at the federal level.

In the meantime, we continue to oppose and denounce ICE in our community. Our office has Know Your Rights cards available in multiple languages and continues to distribute them to our community. You can also find them at any Ausitn Public Library branch or by contacting Austin Equity & Inclusion at aei@austintexas.gov. Additionally, the Human Rights Division within Austin Equity & Inclusion, in partnership with Texas Immigration Law Council (TXILC) and American Gateways, will be hosting four virtual Know Your Rights events.

• Thursday, January 29 at 4pm on Zoom (presentation in English with Spanish interpretation)
• Tuesday, February 17 at 4pm on Zoom (presentation in English with Spanish interpretation)
• Tuesday, March 10 at 5pm on Zoom (presentation in English with Spanish interpretation)
• AND Thursday, April 2 at 6pm on Zoom presentation in English with Spanish interpretation).

Attend Webinar: bit.ly/49NYNVC, with Passcode: 14vQEF 

Last but not least, we will also be co-hosting a Community Conversation with APD Chief Davis on Thursday, February 5th at 6:30pm at Govalle Elementary School to discuss APD's policies that impact our immigrant community.

Thank you again for sharing your voice with us. We will protect our immigrant community and work with our local police department to ensure they can be trusted to protect our community. We will keep you updated as these conversations progress and policies are revised.

https://www.austintexas.gov/page/know-your-rights-when-interacting-austin-police