On Feb. 11, El Cajon City Council approved a resolution that the City of El Cajon is not a sanctuary city, granting local police officers protection if they cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as much as state law, Senate Bill 54 allows, and will continue to seek assistance from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office to indemnify the city and its employees for any assistance or cooperation with federal immigration authorities as permitted by law.
This is the second time Council considered a similar resolution.
SB 54, The California Values Act, safeguards immigrant communities by limiting the involvement of local and state law officials in enforcing federal immigration enforcement.
The first resolution, even with two amendments, did not pass at the Jan. 29 council meeting. The passed resolution was presented by Mayor Bill Wells and Councilmember Steve Goble.
Goble said after the last meeting, with three resolutions that did not pass, that Council did agree on three things. El Cajon is not a sanctuary city, the city will not block, impede, obstruct, or interfere with the federal government coming in to remove violent criminals from the city, and that the city will seek indemnification from the U.S. Attorney General for any action taken by the State of California against El Cajon officers or the city when cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
“I support President Trump’s position to enforce federal immigration law throughout our city of the most serious and violent criminals living here illegally. I welcome Tom Homan, Trump’s Border Czar to do this,” said Goble.
Goble said the city would comply with state laws, understanding that there are conflicts between state and federal laws.
City Attorney Morgan Foley said the city has never been a sanctuary city.
Council member Gary Kendrick said that with approximately 30% of the city’s population being Hispanic, and approximately 30% coming from the Middle East, that he there to represent the entire community. He said he believes in cooperating with federal agencies in removing violent criminals
“Our police officers really need their cooperation when it becomes being witnesses, reporting crimes. If people that are not white need to go to hospitals, and they have kids that are afraid to go to school, and a child cannot go to the hospital, and to church, or to Sunday schools, I think that is really bad,” he said. “…That is not helping our community at all. I represent everybody in this city, and I have to look out for everyone. And SB 54 allows for the police to cooperate with ICE for violent criminals. And I think that is a good thing. I think all of us want to get the violent criminals out of here. But you can see from all the trouble that this resolution has caused, all the people have gotten really upset. This is hurting our community. This is not helping our community…I think this is just a bad resolution.”
Kendrick said that most of the other cities are working with SB 54, and that the city should wait and see how the problem between state and federal laws on immigration works out through the courts.
Councilmember Phil Ortiz said that he wants violent criminals removed and that he “has big problems” with SB 54.
“I do not believe that they make our communities safe, and everyone is glossing over all the other crimes that SB 54 does not take into account. Non-violent offenses include DUIs, arson, robbery, shoplifting, vandalism, theft, burglary, battery, disorderly conduct, forgery, receiving stolen property, drug offenses. These are all non-violent crimes that SB 54 does not address. It is a gap in the safety and security of our community. I do not understand people leaning on SB 54 like it is the know-all, be-all to make our community safe.”
Ortiz said this resolution is nothing more than getting violent criminals off the street.
Mayor Bill Wells said that he was surprised that this resolution is so controversial and should have been a “no-brainer.”
“When you arrest somebody who has done something bad and who does not belong in this country, we should be able to do everything that we can to get them out of this country. Because, if you know what, if we book them downtown, even if they committed a pretty serious crime, they are probably back on the street in two hours,” he said. “It is my job to do everything that I can to protect the people of El Cajon. It is also my job to represent the people of El Cajon, 57% of which said that they wanted change. America is in the process of change. America is in the process of putting America first again. Some people are not going to like that. Some people are going to lose money. Some people will lose status. Some people’s ideology is going to be challenged by it. But let me tell you something. Those of you who came and were completely and literally dishonest, completely disingenuous, made things up out of holed cloth, you are not doing your cause any good. People just tune you out because they know that you are liars.”
The resolution passed 3-2 with council members Kendrick and Michelle Metschel voting no.
