August 15, 2025
Whittier Daily News
Whittier City Council Adopts Resolution To Help Immigrant Residents, But Critics Wanted More
The move comes after criticism of inaction from residents.
Anissa Rivera | August 13, 2025 at 7:45 p.m.
“Brenda Castillo spoke to the council Tuesday as both a longtime Whittier resident and president and CEO of the Whittier-based National Hispanic Media Coalition that works to end discrimination toward Latino communities.
‘The majority of the City Council is not protecting the safety of our children,’ Castillo said, citing a July 30 investigation by the office of U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff alleging 500 counts of human rights abuses in ICE detention centers, including mistreatment of children. The Department of Homeland Security denied the allegations on Aug. 7.
But Castillo said Ossoff’s findings and seeing federal immigration agents staging at Whittier Central Library or urinating on the campus of a Pico Rivera high school, should not be considered the norm.
‘This is not an immigration issue or even a Latino issue, it’s a human rights issue, affecting all our rights,’ Castillo said. ‘This is happening on our watch and I feel a responsibility to everyone’s children. What I was asking the City Council was to find their humanity, because being human is our greatest strength.’”
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To read The Abuse of Pregnant Women & Children in U.S. Immigration Detention - Report from Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, visit here.
