On December 10, 2024, Felicia Gomez, ACLU-SDIC immigrants’ rights senior policy advocate, submitted an e-comment to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in support of Item 29 – a resolution to stop the county from using its resources to collaborate with federal immigration enforcement. The resolution passed with a 3-1 vote.
Our e-comment also emphasized the need for the San Diego Sheriff's Office (SDSO) to adopt this resolution or create its own policy, as the current resolution does not apply to the SDSO. This is vital to ensure a unified approach to immigrants’ rights, prioritizing community trust and safety.
ICE relies on local law enforcement to notify and transfer individuals into ICE custody upon their release from local jails. This type of collaboration is completely voluntary and not required by federal law.
The ACLU-SDIC is concerned that SDSO will continue its collaboration unless the sheriff’s office adopts its own policy.
OUR E-COMMENT (500-character limit):
The ACLU-SDIC urges the board to support this item. To ensure its intended impact, we urge you to also:
- Maintain pressure on SDSO to adopt this resolution or develop a policy that outlines its provisions;
- Solicit and publish data monthly on how SDSO is complying with ICE notification and transfer requests; and
- Solicit and publish an annual accounting of all SDSO and county resources used to collaborate with ICE starting from the California Values Act’s implementation and moving forward.
