The county sheriff says she won’t honor the new policy.
SAN DIEGO—The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 10 approved a new local policy to prohibit the use of county resources to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, including deporting illegal immigrants.
Board Chair Nora Vargas proposed the “board policy on immigration to enhance community safety,” saying she wants to protect immigrant families from mass deportation.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed that his incoming administration will deport illegal immigrants after his inauguration on Jan. 20.
The board voted 3–1 to approve the new policy, which Vargas said is consistent with state laws signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013 and 2017 that prevent local law enforcement officers from placing immigration holds on illegal immigrants in jails requested by the ICE and prohibit state and local funds from being used for activities such as investigation, interrogation, or detention for immigration enforcement.
“The proposed policy does not limit or prohibit giving assistance with the investigative activities of any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency relating to suspected violations of criminal laws,” according to the policy.
After the vote, Sheriff Kelly Martinez said the board does not set policy for the sheriff, who, like the supervisors, is an elected official. She said she wouldn’t honor the new policy.
“Current state law strikes the right balance between limiting local law enforcement’s cooperation with immigration authorities, ensuring public safety, and building community trust,” said Martinez, who has identified as a Democrat though her office is nonpartisan.
The Los Angeles city council and the county board of supervisors recently passed similar policies, in the wake of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call to “Trump-proof” the state.
Tom Homan, Trump’s pick for “border czar” who served as acting ICE director in the first Trump administration and was a U.S. Border Patrol agent for more than two decades, told The Epoch Times via text message that if the ICE has to search communities for criminal illegal immigrants—instead of apprehending them at county jails because local authorities won’t cooperate—the sanctuary policies will backfire and result in more arrests.
By Brad Jones
