Home Board of Supervisors Supervisor Karen Mitchoff Encourages Community to Reject Immigration Plans for Concord, Hold off on Protests

Supervisor Karen Mitchoff Encourages Community to Reject Immigration Plans for Concord, Hold off on Protests

by ECT

On a day when the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors held a presentation that designated the county being a “Welcoming County” for immigrants, Supervisor Karen Mitchoff encouraged residents to reject the immigration plan.

The Supervisors said the presentation did not intentionally coincide with the rumblings at the Concord Weapons Naval Station, but rather the presentation was going to occur a week earlier, but they did not hold a meeting.

Supervisor John Gioia read the resolution because he thought the last sentence of summarized the sentiment and values they feel in Contra Costa County.

“Contra Costa County recognizes June 20th as World Refugee Day and affirms that Contra Costa County is a welcoming county to promote the value among all residents of advancing efforts for integrating immigrant and refugee communities. Recognizing that a community is strongest when everyone feels welcomed and brings immigrants and refugees or immigrants, refugees and the broader community together to develop policies, programs, and initiatives that build welcoming communities and provide all residents with the knowledge and tools to thrive and fully participate in their communities.”

Mitchoff explained that since Friday’s news break that the Navy was looking into a temporary construction of some sort of detention center in Concord, but that the Navy was not being forthcoming with its plans.

She said she and several other elected leaders and council members will meet with Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblyman Tim Grayson and Senate Steve Glazer.

“We will meet to have a concerted and united voice against this detention facility because we don’t want to be seen as NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard),” said Mitchoff. “We want to be seen as saying these detention facilities should not be constructed anywhere in the United States for the purpose which is currently intended.”

Mitchoff also shared that the City of Concord is the lead agency and they have a tremendous amount of work to get done before it can be turned into a community, but the reason the Navy has not turned over the last to the city yet is because of what she calls “dirty dirt out there and until its properly managed they can’t turn over the land” for homes, schools and other uses.

“We need and I encourage all of our voices to reject this current immigration plan that the federal government is proposing. I think we all hopefully agree that this is not the way to handle immigrants, whether they’re refugees or individuals coming, trying to go through the legal process,” said Mitchoff. ”But as it relates to the Concord Naval Weapons Station, I think it’s premature to do any type of demonstration.”

She encouraged the community to hold off on demonstrations until more information is available and also to consider the amount of police resources that might be needed with protests.

“Let’s fight, let’s rage, let’s demonstrate that, speak out on the immigration issue and let that our focus, but until we know more about Concord Naval Weapons Station, I think our efforts are more legitimately put into the immigration type of demonstrations,” explained Mitchoff. “Obviously, people need to do what they feel is the appropriate thing to do. But I think you will be hearing more from all of us about how we are going to do everything possible and ensure that there is no detention facility at the Concord Naval Weapons Station.”

Mitchoff closed her comments by saying if people do plan to protest, be sure to do it in a public setting like a county jail, city hall where there is public comment and discourse, but not to local board and cares, businesses or places where services are being provided.

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3 comments

Antioch-Pittsburg Highway Jun 27, 2018 - 10:27 am

“Immigrants and refugees” are not the correct words John Gioia should be using in his statements. The old words that are continually being rejected but are defining are illegal Immigrant or undocumented immigrant. These are people the U.S. Government can not tell anyone with certainty the place of birth, age, skills, education, language, or loyalty to another nation. History has always taught us a lesson that nations have fallen, or changed to another form of governing, from failure to control who enters their country. Allow 47,000 people from another country to be processed and discharged to Concord and the surrounding cities of Contra Costa County and watch how fast the politics will change to look more like the countries they left.

Melanie Jun 27, 2018 - 7:28 pm

Whatever.

Dawn Jun 28, 2018 - 11:58 pm

If we are to let more immigrants here, these should be based on merit! We have more than enough uneducated, untrained people here from south of the border. With automation of agricultural industries, we won’t need anymore lettuce or strawberry pickers. We need scientists, physicians, highly trained tech people. We also have to make sure that our children and grandchildren don’t have to compete for the few jobs which will be left with foreigners and their offspring. I am sponsoring highly educated and trained people from Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Germany and RUSSIA who have the training we need.

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