Indio City Council approves sending Freedom of Information Act request to Dept. of Homeland Security

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - The Indio City Council approved a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.

The goal of the request is to obtain information on how many people have been detained by ICE during immigration enforcement operations in the city.

The move was met with a lot of debate, eventually passing on a 3 to 2 vote.

Councilmember Oscar Ortiz led the effort, saying the information will give residents a clearer picture of what's going on locally.

Ortiz, along with Councilmember Benjamin Guitron and Mayor Pro Tem Waymond Ferman voted in favor of the City Attorney drafting the request to come from the City Council.

Mayor Pro Tem Ferman said the FOIA request is necessary because, "Nonetheless, we could see what happened in 2025. We could look at trends. We could look at how it might affect our economy, how it's affecting our schools, how it's affecting employment and development. "

Mayor Elaine Holmes and Councilmember Glenn Miller voted no.

The city plans to make the data public once received, offering transparency on enforcement activity that has raised concerns in the community.