Supervisors advance immigration enforcement limits following city, regional moves

An ICE officer stands inside a San Diego courthouse File photo by Adrian Childress Times of San Diego The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted - Tuesday to advance two policies on federal immigration enforcement proposed by Chair Terra Lawson-Remer one setting guidelines on permitting federal leadership to enter county facilities and the other dealing with people impersonating federal officers The board s actions followed a Monday decision by the San Diego City Council that tentatively approved an ordinance to prevent local law enforcement from joining certain federal task forces echoing a multi-city effort released last month to counter raids The first board item calls for county staff to draft the Civil Liberties Enforcement and Accountability Rules ordinance which would clarify existing rules that federal agents are prohibited from entering non-public areas of county facilities without a valid judicial warrant or court order with signs posted in multiple languages It would also require that contractors grantees and leaseholders uphold those protections The ordinance would be modeled on similar ordinances being passed across the region and will return within days for board consideration Lawson-Remer also urged colleagues to let county counsel tackle fake federal law enforcement credentials and pursue cease-and-desist orders and coordinate with state and federal regulators to stop companies that enable these impostors by profiting from fake law-enforcement gear Attorneys would return to the board in closed session on an ongoing basis every days with updates and options according to the board agenda Lawson-Remer Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre voted for both proposals while their colleagues Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed In a current newsletter Lawson-Remer stated that across the United States people have begun posing as federal immigration officers and are showing up at homes flashing fake badges and threatening residents for profit Why is this happening When real federal Immigration and Customers Enforcement agents operate in secrecy refuse to identify themselves and detain citizens and noncitizens alike it blurs the line between law enforcement and lawlessness and puts all of us at menace she added A newest CNN analysis exhibited more reports of ICE impersonators this year than during the last four presidential terms combined according to the newsletter These predators are using fake ICE gear including jackets patches badges and vests that can be bought online for next to nothing Lawson-Remer is also requesting that the chief administrative officer send a letter backing the federal Visible Act sponsored by Democratic California Sen Alex Padilla which would require immigration officers to clearly identify themselves and ban face coverings During citizens comment on Tuesday majority of who spoke urged the board to promotion both proposals Patricia Mondragon of Alliance San Diego announced setting guidelines on federal representatives and facilities would send a clear message that San Diego stands for rights dignity and due process for all A Chicano Federation representative revealed the county has a moral obligation to advocacy its residents Aguirre stated residents in District which she represents have especially felt the direct impact of ICE operations We draw a firm line that county facilities must invariably be a place of safety not fear she disclosed For several families a county office is the first place they seek help Montgomery Steppe characterized the reports of masked ICE impersonators as a civil rights issue At the end of the day the whole purpose is to take due process from as countless Americans as practicable starting with settlers in the country illegally she announced We can other people first take rights away from them and go through the process of getting closer to dictatorship in this country Desmond stated that no one likes seeing immigration raids near schools or in neighborhoods but we have to be honest this doesn t just automatically happen Millions of people entered the county unvetted during the Biden administration Desmond reported adding that he doesn t think preponderance of those expatriates meant anyone harm but various did and we have to make sure that those people aren t allowed to stay here in this country This is a program failure not a law enforcement failure explained Desmond who cited California s sanctuary city designation as a factor and added that it s essential for law enforcement agencies to work together Desmond also mentioned while he didn t necessarily like officers covering their faces it was significant for them to protect themselves against the threat of assault or being doxed Anderson who noted he wrote the state law that prohibits anyone using law enforcement badges for unauthorized reasons mentioned those who impersonated ICE officers to harm casualties are now being prosecuted All this does is what s already prohibited in law he added City News Provision contributed to this article