San Diego County Nixes California Sanctuary Law

California’s State Sanctuary Law is one that shelters undocumented felons and refuses to cooperate with ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

In March, 2018 and with a unanimous vote of 3-0, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to join the Justice Department’s lawsuit against California. San Diego County nixed the Sanctuary Law in April and is the largest California County thus far to back the federal lawsuit against the state. It was done in spite of protests for and against, and as Diane Jacob, supervisor for the district that covers East San Diego County, said:

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

She also expressed concern about terrorists who might cross the San Diego border illegally, adding that things are different now than they were 20, 30 or 40 years ago.

According to San Diego’s County Supervisors, it all boils down to safeguarding its communities and that the Sanctuary Law would allow undocumented criminal felons to avoid deportation. The specific California state laws that Orange and San Diego County are protesting via their support of the Department of Justice lawsuit against California are:

SB 54, garnered the most publicity when it passed. It allows officers to turn unauthorized immigrants over to federal immigration enforcement agencies only if they have committed crimes listed in the legislation. It says local police cannot participate in task forces that are focused on immigration enforcement.

It also mandates that the California Attorney General set policies limiting assistance with immigration enforcement at public schools, libraries and hospitals.

Assembly Bill 103 prohibits local governments throughout California from engaging in new contracts with the federal government for civil immigration detention or expanding old ones. It also requires the California Attorney General’s Office to monitor conditions in existing immigration detention facilities in the state.

AB 450 prohibits employers from voluntarily allowing immigration officials into non-public areas of the workplace unless the officers have judicial warrants. It also requires employers to notify employees about upcoming immigration inspections.

San Diego is not alone in protesting these state laws and joining the federal government in its lawsuit against these California laws. Orange County voted to join the fed in April, as have the following cities:

Carlsbad
Escondido
Los Alamitos (one of the first–who is also being sued by ACLU for joining the Feds)
Hisperia
Mission Viejo
Huntington Beach
Fountain Valley
Aliso Viejo
Orange
Newport Beach
Westminster
San Juan Capistrano
Santa Clarita

The list seems to be growing almost weekly, at least in Southern California who because of proximity to southern border appear to be hit hardest by undocumented immigrant felons.