Updated June 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM AKDT
The city of Glendale, located just north of Los Angeles, California, has ended its partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house federal immigration detainees at a police department facility.
The decision to sever the contract with ICE follows days of immigration protests in Los Angeles and the Trump administration's deployment of National Guard troops and Marines, despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In a press release, city officials described the move to cancel the contract, which has been in place since 2007, as a local decision that is not politically driven and rooted in the city's core values of public safety, local accountability and trust.
In a conversation with NPR's A Martinez on Morning Edition, Mayor Ara Najarian said growing public concern over Glendale's involvement with ICE drove the decision. He also called ending the contract "a particularly uninformed political decision."
"It became very clear that there were strong opinions that Glendale should not participate in the detention process," Najarian said.
Najarian told NPR's A Martinez that immigrants who previously would have been held in Glendale's facility will now be detained elsewhere, including in facilities outside of California.
NPR reached out to ICE for comment last night and has not yet received a comment.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
A Martinez: This contract has been in place since the George W. Bush administration. Why do city leaders believe now is the time to terminate it?
Mayor Ara Najarian: The reason it is being canceled is we became aware this past week of some of the ICE enforcement actions that were taking place in Los Angeles, and there was huge public outcry, mainly concerned about the manner in which people were being detained and that they were being housed and transported. It became very clear that there were strong opinions that Glendale should not participate in the detention process, and the city manager, upon consultation with our chief of police and some of the council members, decided that it would be in the best interests of the city to give notice of a 60-day termination for that contract.
Martinez: So how many detainees are in the facility at this moment, and where will they go once those 60 days are up?
Najarian: Well, currently, I don't believe we have any detainees, and the use of our jail facility was very infrequent. Now that's the problem. When we made this decision, there were some concerns that we had, and that was, if we were to cancel the contract, where would these detainees go? My understanding is these detainees would still be either placed in the federal detention center, or they would be quickly moved out of the county, perhaps even into Texas. And that was a concern we had, that the Glendale facility was rated superior in all aspects by the LA County civil grand jury.
Martinez: So why wouldn't it be, actually, in some ways better that the city of Glendale continue with the contract with ICE?
Najarian: Well, if you look at it only at the humanitarian level, placing them in the Glendale facility is the best move. Unfortunately, using that facility became associated with the heavy-handed mannerisms that some people claim ICE were using, and they saw us as just being part of that process and being complicit, if you will, in all the actions that ICE were taking.
Martinez: And as much as the city says that this decision is not political, isn't a decision made not based on public safety, necessarily, but on public perception, mostly, isn't that inherently a political decision?
Najarian: For myself, I think yes, definitely it is a political decision.
And let me go one step further: I think this is a particularly uninformed political decision because much of the pressure we received and threats, you know, 'Come down to the city of Glendale and let's shut this down' were not informed of, in my opinion, the true value and humanitarian aspect that the Glendale jail provided.
Martinez: So it sounds like, mayor, if it was completely up to you, the contract with ICE would continue?
Najarian: Yes, and only upon the proper explanation to those in the public, those perhaps whose family members are at risk and those who are detained, that Glendale really is the best place to be held, rather than the basement of the federal building, jammed in, or shipped off to a far [away] state.
Martinez: Considering everything that we have seen and heard going on in the Los Angeles area for the past few days, is it a relief that Glendale will no longer be a part of this?
Najarian: Well, mixed feelings on that. I am a son of immigrants, and half of our city is full of immigrants. So my heart does go out to those who are put in jeopardy of being deported, rightfully or wrongfully. It just hurts when you see that happen. However, I think my overriding concern is to keep the residents of Glendale safe, keep their property safe, and in that regard, I think we perhaps have avoided large demonstrations which would otherwise be directed against our local law enforcement, against our city facilities. I'm glad that perhaps that risk has been reduced.
This conversation was edited for radio and digital by Ally Schweitzer and Treye Green.
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