San Diego Sheriff Refuses to Enforce County’s ‘Sanctuary’ Immigration Policy

San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez has openly rejected a new county policy that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities, leading to a potential clash with California’s broader efforts to shield residents from mass deportation under President Donald Trump’s administration.

On Tuesday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to bar the Sheriff’s Department from collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on enforcing civil immigration laws, including deportation actions. The decision aligns San Diego with seven other counties in California, including Los Angeles, which has implemented policies extending beyond the state’s general prohibition on local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Exceptions to the state law exist for individuals convicted of certain violent crimes.

Nora Vargas, a member of the Board of Supervisors, expressed strong opposition to mass deportations, stating, “We will not allow our local resources to be used for actions that separate families, harm community trust, or divert critical local resources away from addressing our most pressing challenges.” Vargas was among three Democrats who supported the policy change.

However, Sheriff Martinez, who is elected separately from the board, refused to comply with the new policy. “The current state law strikes the right balance between limiting local law enforcement’s cooperation with immigration authorities, ensuring public safety, and building community trust,” said Martinez, who identifies as a Democrat but leads a non-partisan office.

The controversy highlights tensions over California’s stance on immigration enforcement. While the state has sought to protect non-citizen residents from deportation, ICE relies on local law enforcement to assist in identifying and detaining individuals for deportation. Under Trump’s administration, limiting local cooperation has been a central strategy for California’s sanctuary laws, aimed at reducing deportations.

San Diego, a county of 3.3 million people located on the U.S.-Mexico border, has become a key battleground in the debate over sanctuary policies. Tom Homan, Trump’s former “border czar,” has criticized sanctuary laws, including those in San Diego, arguing they complicate federal immigration enforcement efforts. In a recent Fox News appearance, Homan claimed that such policies “put the community at risk” by denying ICE access to county jails.

Despite the conflict, Vargas emphasized that under the new policy, ICE would need a judge’s order to access individuals held in county custody. Currently, state law permits limited cooperation with ICE for people convicted of violent crimes, which has led to the transfer of 100 to 200 individuals annually to federal authorities.

As the Trump administration prepares for a potential second term, immigrant rights groups in California are pushing for further restrictions on federal immigration enforcement. Proposals include expanding the state’s sanctuary laws to limit ICE cooperation with state prisons, restricting federal access to local jails, and preventing the sharing of data between local law enforcement and immigration agents.