Open letter to Mayor Mark Turner and Members of the City Council:
I am writing as a resident of Morgan Hill to formally request that the City Council place an item on the agenda for the next regular open public meeting to discuss and vote on a formal resolution opposing the planned ICE detention facility on Holsclaw Road near Gilroy.
While I acknowledge the Council’s recent evaluation of the Monterey County Amicus Brief during the special closed session on June 24, 2026, the subsequent report of “no reportable actions” has left our community without vital clarity on where our elected representatives stand on this deeply impactful issue.
The Ralph M. Brown Act sets the legal baseline for open meetings, but it does not mandate silence on the policy underpinnings of your decisions.
Declining to join a legal brief in a closed session is a legal mechanism, but the decision of whether Morgan Hill really stands as a “supportive and inclusive community, including support for all community members regardless of immigration status” (City Council Meeting Minutes of June 24, 2026) or passively permits an immigration detention facility on our doorstep is a profound matter of local public policy.
Over 20 residents who attended the special meeting publicly spoke to share their values and fears. They deserve an equally open, transparent dialogue from their council.
Holding a public discussion on a resolution does not compromise privileged legal strategies from your closed session. Instead, it gives the public the chance to hear your broader perspectives, policy priorities and governing values.
A community cannot fully trust a legislative body that shelters major policy decisions behind the absolute veil of attorney-client confidentiality when the option for transparent debate remains fully within your discretion.
Therefore, I respectfully request that at the next open City Council meeting, your agenda includes a resolution that allows a transparent discussion, council questions and an explicit public vote on our city’s posture toward this facility.
Thank you for your time, your service and your commitment to a truly transparent local government.
Daniel Cloutier
Morgan Hill
