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San Diego County Board of Supervisors decides to stop cooperating with ICE

The regulation prevents cooperating with federal agents or the Border Patrol, or giving them information about an individual's legal status, even if he or she is a convicted criminal.

Migrantes atrapados entre las vallas primaria y secundaria en la frontera entre Tijuana y San Diego, visto desde Tijuana, México.

Fenced border separating San Diego County and Mexico.Cordon Press.

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San Diego County has passed a regulation to stop cooperating with ICE and hinder the federal administration's work on illegal immigration. The governing body of the Californian county has thus decided to reinforce its “sanctuary” policy and prohibit the use of its resources and funding to support federal immigration agents.

The decision of the Board of Supervisors comes in anticipation of the second presidential term of Donald Trump, who plans to toughen measures against illegal immigration in the country, including possible mass deportations to put an end to the domino effect of a lax policy.

The Board of Supervisors, chaired by Democrat Nora Vargas, was the one who introduced this regulation, which was voted on in the absence of Supervisor Jim Desmond, one of the two Republican supervisors. San Diego County is the fifth most populous county in the country.

The policy bans county authorities from cooperating in any way with federal ICE agents or the Border Patrol. The policy goes so far as to stipulate that county facility workers may not communicate with ICE workers to, for example, provide information about an individual's legal status, even if the individual is a convicted felon.

The policy also prohibits "giving ICE agents access to individuals or allowing them to use county facilities for investigative interviews or other purposes, devoting county time or resources to responding to ICE inquiries or communicating with ICE regarding individuals' incarceration status or release dates, or otherwise engaging in any civil immigration enforcement activity."

California state law already somewhat limits collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE but allows it when the subjects of interest are convicted criminals.

For Democrat Nora Vargas, all these measures are necessary as California law is not enough to turn the state into a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. "San Diego County has always been a place where communities are valued, not divided, and as County Supervisor, I am committed to leading a local government that promotes unity, fairness and justice for all, while respecting the law," stated Vargas.

County sheriff challenges Supervisor Vargas

San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez offered statements reported by ABC7 in which she assured that her office will not comply with the Board of Supervisors' rule. Martinez said the board does not set policy for the sheriff, who, like the supervisors, is an elected official.

Martinez decided to align herself with California state law, which she considers sufficient. Martinez was elected by voters in 2022 and is more closely aligned with Democrats than Republicans.

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