A San Diego-area city, El Cajon, was set to revoke its “sanctuary city” status but faced significant opposition from residents. Mayor Bill Wells explained the dilemma, saying, “We have the federal government saying we could be prosecuted if we don’t cooperate with them, and the state government saying our police could be prosecuted if they do cooperate.” El Cajon is located about 15 miles northeast of San Diego.
California is a sanctuary state, which means existing law prevents state and local law enforcement from aiding federal immigration authorities. Wells and the El Cajon city council had planned to vote on a resolution to revoke the city’s sanctuary status, but the vote has been postponed.
Wells met with Tom Homan, a former ICE acting director and “border czar” under the Trump administration, in Arizona three weeks ago. He expressed the city’s desire to cooperate with federal immigration efforts but highlighted the conflicting state laws. “I said, ‘We want to cooperate… but you got to help us because the state of California sees it differently,’” Wells said.
Wells is particularly concerned about the safety and legal repercussions for local officers. “I’m worried about our police officers because the way the California law is written, they could be prosecuted, they could lose their pensions, they could lose their job. They could even be sued civilly if they cooperate with ICE agents,” he said.
About 100 miles north, Huntington Beach’s mayor successfully passed a measure declaring the community a “non-sanctuary city,” a move El Cajon’s mayor is still advocating for. “We have to have borders, language and culture if we want to have a nation,” Wells said. “Stop the last grasp of trying to stand in the way of what Trump’s doing. Embrace it. Let it happen and let us all have a safer place to live.”
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