AC Transit says no to being a part of ICE's deportation machine
AC Transit has applied to receive a new $523,200 federal Transit Security Grant. But the fine print spells out a troubling change.
In response to the outcry from the community and Board of Directors, staff have decided to pull Item 6.L, Consider Ratifying a Grant Application with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the FY 2025- 26 Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP), from the September 10th agenda. Staff have contacted FEMA/DHS to retract the application, which sought funding for surge patrols of law enforcement at crowded events focused on counterterrorism.
Why are community members upset about AC Transit seeking grant funding?
The Trump Administration has transformed the Transit Security Grant Program funding into a powerful tool in their arsenal of resources for implementation of increasingly extreme federal immigration priorities. The Notice of Funding Opportunity for the grant program explicitly encourages agencies to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), join the 287(g) program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws, and cooperate with immigration detainers. The Alameda County Sherriff's Office does not accept nor honor immigration detainers from ICE (Alameda County Sherriff's Office General Order 1.24).
Obviously we need funding but we cannot afford to put our riders at risk, and to discourage an important segment of our community from having equal access to our buses. From everything I am seeing that is what accepting the grant under these circumstances would do. Security is a priority but not at the expense of our riders, our community, and our values. I am thankful staff are listening to the concerns from the community and retracting the grant application.
AC Transit should keep its focus where it belongs: delivering safe, reliable, and welcoming transit service for all riders—not enforcing federal immigration policy. In 2017 the State passed the California Values Act to ensure that California resources are not used to carry out federal immigration priorities. This grant program incentivizes agencies to turn our buses and bus stops into places of fear and intimidation. That harms public safety and community trust.
This grant program is not just bad policy, the grant conditions are illegal. That's why California Attorney General Bonta is suing the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security over illegal immigration enforcement conditions on grant funding. In May, Bonta filed two lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration’s effort to unlawfully impose immigration enforcement requirements on billions of dollars in annual U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Transportation grants. Attorney General Bonta is leading a coalition of 20 states in filing the DHS lawsuit alongside the attorneys general of Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, and is leading the same coalition in filing the DOT lawsuit, alongside the attorneys general of Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maryland. In the lawsuits, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that imposing this new set of conditions across a range of grant programs is arbitrary and capricious, exceeds the Trump Administration’s legal authority, and violates the Spending Clause.
“President Trump doesn’t have the authority to unlawfully coerce state and local governments into using their resources for federal immigration enforcement – and his latest attempt to bully them into doing so is blatantly illegal,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: The President is threatening to yank funds to improve our roads, keep our planes in the air, prepare for emergencies, and protect against terrorist attacks if states do not fall in line with his demands. He’s treating these funds, which have nothing to do with immigration enforcement and everything to do with the safety of our communities, as a bargaining chip. But this is not a game. I’ll continue taking the President to court each time he breaks the law and puts Californians’ interests on the line.”
Take Action
Tell the AC Transit Board and Staff: Thank you for withdrawing the application for Trump Administration Transit Security Grant Program funding. Please be proactive on protecting immigrant riders from the federal government. For example, distribute Alameda County Social Services Agency know your rights information to riders.
To submit a written public comment to the AC Transit Board, click on: https://actransit.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and then click on the “eComment” link for the corresponding meeting. The eComment submission window closes 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. You can find your Board member here and contact them individually: https://www.actransit.org/board-of-directors
Pass this message along to your neighbors and riders: our buses must remain safe and accessible for everyone. Public transit is about community and connection. Not division and fear. Let’s stand together to keep AC Transit focused on service, not federal immigration enforcement.
