San Diego County Board Votes to Support Trump's Sanctuary State Lawsuit

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3–1 to support the Trump Administration’s lawsuit against California’s sanctuary state laws limiting the role of local authorities in immigration enforcement.

“We’re talking about people who are crossing the border illegally, coming into this county and committing a crime, and then being let loose probably to commit another crime,” said  Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “That creates a public safety issue and creates a problem in our neighborhoods.”

The decision comes after the City of Escondido, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, and many other cities voted to support the lawsuit. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed the County Attorney to file an amicus brief, a brief submitted by a party affected by the ruling but not directly involved with the case. The filing deadline has passed, but it will be filed if the lawsuit’s decision is appealed to a higher court.

“I voted against the County joining the federal administration’s lawsuit against the State’s California Values Act,” said County Supervisor Greg Cox. “The Board’s vote is a largely symbolic move that will create fear and divisiveness in our region, waste taxpayer funds, and create distrust of law enforcement and local government within many communities.”

The Trump Administration filed a lawsuit against the State of California over several laws that limit cooperation between local and federal agencies on immigration matters.

SB 54, the California Values Act, limits local agencies from sharing information with federal immigration authorities about criminals or suspects in a criminal investigation unless they are convicted of serious crimes. The California State Legislature also passed the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, which prohibits local businesses from access to employee records without a court order.

“The recent move by the County Board of Supervisors is a resounding indication that the current leadership in this county is hopelessly out of touch and dangerously unwelcoming to immigrants and people of color,” said Aidan Beals, President of UCSD College Democrats. “They chose to stand next to Washington’s bigotry instead of the people of San Diego County and the communities they claim to represent, but clearly don’t care about.”

Ethan Coston is a Staff Writer for The Triton. You can follow him @Ethan4Books