San Diego County’s board of supervisors voted Tuesday to become a so-called “super sanctuary” jurisdiction, refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officials, even when illegal aliens in custody have committed violent crimes.
The county’s resolution cites the “California Values Act,” a law passed in 2017 to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. It limits cooperation between state and local officials and federal immigration authorities.
The resolution says that detainers issued by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) do not provide due process (for people who are not legally present in the U.S.) and that local officials will only cooperate with ICE if there is a judicial warrant.
Republican supervisor Jim Desmond, who was the lone dissenter in a 3-1 vote, called the new policy “an affront to every citizen who values safety and justice,” noting that it protects illegal aliens who have committed “violent and heinous crimes.”
Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez will not enforce the board’s policy, citing the fact that she is elected independently from the board and has her own separate jurisdiction.
Without opposing the overall “sanctuary state” policy, Sheriff Martinez noted that California’s law allows local enforcement to communicate with federal officials about violent criminals, and said that she would continue to do so — whether the county board of supervisors agreed
