NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) — National City will start exploring the possibility of creating a legal defense fund for undocumented immigrants.
On Tuesday, the city council voted unanimously to explore the issue further.
The vote only means they will gather more information before having a formal discussion at a future city council meeting.
The item was requested by Council Member Jose Rodriguez.
"I do believe it is our constitutional right to have an attorney present with us whenever we are going to trial," said Rodriguez.
Since the conversation is still in its very early stages, there are many unanswered questions as to how the fund would work. Among the things the city will explore are cost estimates, how many families would be helped, and taking a look at legal liabilities.
The council and city staff will also look into how the county's already existing immigrant legal defense program currently works.
"The idea is to make sure that we work with existing legal services, but we want to make sure that national city residents know about it and have access to it," says Rodriguez.
Before the vote, the city council heard public comment from both people who supported and were opposed to the idea.
"Having a competent attorney makes a huge difference, so this is just a great idea that needs to be developed further," said an attorney who spoke during public comment.
"I do not approve of wasting city resources in that fashion. You can't even take care of people here at home," said one person who disagreed with the idea.
The cost to taxpayers, should the fund be created, is still unclear.
"It's still unknown, it may be very minimal, the reason I left it vague is to have a discussion, but it could be as basic as opening up public buildings in order to assist undocumented families," says Councilmember Rodriguez.
The council did not specify when the item will be brought back to council chambers for discussion.
