During the Beverly Hills City Council meeting on August 5, 2025, multiple residents, including Terry Christianson and Shiva Bagheri, voiced strong opposition to the city’s participation in an ACLU lawsuit challenging federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation policies. The comments follow the council’s decision on July 15, 2025, to join a coalition led by Los Angeles and the ACLU to stop ongoing ICE raids in the region, which the lawsuit alleges are unconstitutional for targeting individuals based on ethnicity without reasonable suspicion or probable cause.
Terry Christianson, a resident since 1972, opened the public comment period, urging the council to reconsider and withdraw from the lawsuit. He emphasized that Beverly Hills, unlike sanctuary city Los Angeles, should not expend resources on the ACLU’s national campaign to block deportations.
"It’s a lawsuit filed by ACLU which is engaged in a national effort to block deportation. Beverly Hills is not a sanctuary city."
Christianson said, noting the city’s politically balanced voter base, roughly split 50-50 between parties.
Shiva Bagheri echoed concerns about the lawsuit’s alignment with local priorities.
Another speaker, identified as Toshio, was welcomed alongside Bagheri, indicating additional comments on the topic, though specific details were not recorded in the provided transcript. The transcript notes over 20 public comments were submitted, with some deferred to the meeting’s end, reflecting significant community engagement on the issue.
State open meeting laws prevented the council from responding directly to non-agenda items, leaving the residents’ pleas unaddressed during the session. The comments highlight a broader community debate over Beverly Hills’ role in national immigration policies, intensified by the city’s recent decision to join the legal challenge against ICE. This public outcry underscores tensions between local governance and involvement in federal legal battles.
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