San Diego County implemented new measures to limit its cooperation with federal immigration authorities on Tuesday as the county's Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to restrict the use of county resources, facilities, and personnel in civil immigration enforcement, prohibiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) except when required by state law in cases involving certain violent crimes.
The move looks to align the county's practices with seven other California jurisdictions that have enhanced protections for undocumented residents, including Los Angeles.
However, shortly after, county sheriff Kelly Martinez vowed to defy the new policy, setting up a showdown in the country's fifth largest county. As reported by The Associated Press, Martinez said the board does not set policy for the sheriff, who, like the supervisors, is an elected official.
Martinez also took exception to Supervisor Nora Vargas, who supported the measure, saying that "a loophole" in state law that allows sheriffs to work with ICE under limited circumstances for people convicted of violent crimes had resulted in the county transferring 100 to 200 people a year to immigration authorities.
"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, defiantly, implying that state law makes the proposed new policy unnecessary.
The new policy will require ICE to obtain a judge's order to secure assistance from the county in transferring individuals from local custody for immigration-related purposes.
Vargas had emphasized that the county's focus should remain on fostering community trust and addressing local priorities, as reported by Border Patrol:
"San Diego County has always been a place where communities are valued, not divided and as a County Supervisor, I'm committed to leading a local government that promotes unity, equity, and justice for all, while upholding the law. We will not allow our local resources to be used for actions that that separate families, harm community trust, or divert critical local resources away from addressing our most pressing challenges"
Critics of the policy, including Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond, expressed concerns about its potential impact on public safety:
"This reckless measure not only goes far beyond California's already extreme sanctuary state laws, but actively endangers our communities by shielding illegal immigrant criminals from deportation. Consider this: under this policy, law enforcement is prohibited from notifying ICE about individuals, in custody, who have committed violent and heinous crimes, including rape and stalking, assault and battery, burglary, child abuse and more"
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