San Diego County has voted to further block the county's cooperation with federal immigration authorities ahead of an expected deportation push by the incoming Trump administration next year. The move was quickly condemned by local Republican leaders.
The resolution goes further than California's existing “sanctuary” law, which generally limits cooperation between law enforcement and ICE. The vote was approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on a 3-1 vote.
The resolution states that counties must “give ICE officers access to individuals, permit the use of county facilities for investigative interviews or other purposes, or respond to ICE inquiries or communicate with ICE.” ICE will not provide any assistance or cooperation to ICE, including the expending of its time or resources. Regarding an individual's incarceration status, release date, or participation in other civilian immigration enforcement activities. ”
Blue state counties vote in favor of 'knee-jerk' resolution to protect illegal immigrants from deportation
On September 25, 2019, an ICE agent was arrested in Revere, Massachusetts. (Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
When ICE becomes aware of a suspected illegal immigrant in local or state custody, ICE files a detention with a law enforcement agency, typically requiring law enforcement to be notified prior to release, and in some cases ICE detains the person. Detain until you can.
ICE says this will help detain illegal immigrants without having to go into the community and keep illegal immigrant criminals off the streets. Sanctuary proponents argue that such policies chill cooperation between law enforcement and law-abiding illegal immigrants.
“When federal immigration authorities, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Border Patrol, force local law enforcement to carry out deportations, families are separated and communities are separated from law enforcement. and trust in law enforcement. Local government will be destroyed,” the resolution summary asserts. “Witnesses, victims, or people who have loved ones who are in the country illegally are afraid to come to the county for help, including calling local law enforcement. This puts the public safety of all San Diegans at risk.”
Another major blue city doubles down to stop Trump's mass deportation plan
Former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The vote will take place a little more than a month before President-elect Trump is sworn into office. After taking office, he promised to launch a “historic” mass deportation operation to remove millions of illegal immigrants from the country.
Nora Vargas, chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, said California's current sanctuary law, which limits ICE deportations, does not go far enough.
“While the California Values Act greatly expanded protections from deportation for California residents, it fell short of protecting all residents, because government agencies cannot notify ICE of release dates or It still allowed ICE to remove individuals without a warrant in some cases. she said.
The resolution mirrors a similar policy Santa Clara County enacted in 2019.
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Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond, the lone vote against the resolution, slammed the bill's passage. He previously told Fox News Digital that the measure was part of an effort by some Democrats to move the state “against President Trump.”
He said Tuesday that the vote was “a direct betrayal of the people we are sworn to protect.”
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“This reckless measure not only goes far beyond California's already extreme sanctuary state law, but it actively endangers our communities by protecting illegal immigrant criminals from deportation. Consider this: Under this policy, law enforcement is prohibited from notifying ICE about individuals in their custody for violent crimes, including rape and stalking, assault and battery, robbery, and child abuse. He committed a heinous crime.”
He said he has already been in touch with members of the incoming Trump administration and will “fight relentlessly to reverse this disastrous policy and ensure criminal illegal immigrants are removed from our neighborhoods.”
