San Diego County Ends ICE Training Contract

Decision on Federal Immigration Training

San Diego County will terminate contracts with federal immigration authorities to use local firing ranges. The move addresses concerns about the Trump administration’s aggressive approach on immigration.

County supervisors voted 3-2 to end agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at two facilities near the Mexican border. The contracts had been in place for several years, allowing immigration enforcement agencies to conduct training.

Monica Montgomery Steppe, one of the supervisors, stated, “Federal immigration agents have harmed our communities many different ways here locally and throughout the nation. We just don’t want to be complicit in that.”

Sheriff’s Perspective

San Diego’s elected sheriff, Kelly Martinez, indicated that ICE will no longer access county facilities. This decision followed months of discussions and community feedback on ICE’s actions during confrontations in various parts of the country.

However, Martinez allowed CBP to continue using one facility. She defended CBP’s role in combating border crime and facilitating trade.

Martinez emphasized, “Too many people on both sides of the border would be harmed by a decision to end CBP’s use of the facility. As Sheriff, I have a duty to protect and serve everyone who lives in or enters San Diego County.”

Community and Supervisors’ Response

The decision follows community demands for the county to end contracts that support the previous administration’s deportation policies. These policies have reportedly split families and led to violent incidents between agents and residents in various regions.

Jim Desmond, a supervisor opposing the decision, argued that law enforcement agencies should collaborate in training. He suggested that more training could rectify issues with ICE’s conduct.

Rodney Scott of CBP expressed concern over potential implications for training and local staffing. Without access to these facilities, officers may need to travel elsewhere for mandatory training, impacting border operations.

Ongoing Agreements and Local Efforts

Despite ending ICE’s access, CBP retains its agreement from 2017. ICE’s training hours since 2021 and its use of a Navy-owned firing range leased by the county were noted in a letter by supervisors advocating for contract termination.

San Diego officials are focused on maintaining trust with immigrant communities and emphasize the separation between local police and federal immigration agents. Advocacy groups criticized the administration’s use of various federal agencies for immigration enforcement.

Terra Lawson-Remer, board chair, stated, “Our community is a home, not a target. If the Trump administration wants to spend billions on this law and deportation agenda, they can use their own federal resources to carry it out.”