The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider policies that, according to the sponsor, would protect public safety and due process rights for residents, following reports of people being stopped by federal immigration agents.
Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer is proposing two agenda items: A proposed ordinance setting guidelines on how federal authorities would be allowed to enter county facilities, and a policy dealing with those impersonating federal officers.
Agenda item 17 calls for county staff to draft the Civil Liberties Enforcement and Accountability Rules ordinance "to establish firm guardrails to protect the freedom and dignity of all San Diegans who walk through our doors," according to information on the document.
If eventually passed, the ordinance would clarify existing rules that "federal agents are prohibited from entering non-public areas of county facilities without a valid judicial warrant or court order," with signs posted in multiple languages. It would also require that contractors, grantees and leaseholders uphold those protections.
The ordinance "will be modeled on similar ordinances being passed across the region and would return within 30 days for board consideration and adoption," according to the agenda.
Lawson-Remer is also asking her colleagues to let county counsel tackle fake federal law enforcement credentials and "pursue cease-and-desist orders, and coordinate with state and federal regulators to stop companies that enable these impostors by profiting from fake law-enforcement gear," according to agenda item 18.
Attorneys would "return to the board in closed session on an ongoing basis every 90 days" with updates and options, according to the agenda.
In a newsletter, Lawson-Remer stated that across the United States, "people have begun posing as federal immigration officers and are showing up at homes, flashing fake badges and threatening residents for profit.
"Why is this happening? When real (federal Immigration and Customers Enforcement) agents operate in secrecy, refuse to identify themselves, and detain citizens and noncitizens alike, it blurs the line between law enforcement and lawlessness and puts all of us at risk," she added.
A recent CNN report showed "more reports of ICE impersonators this year than during the last four presidential terms combined," according to the newsletter. "These predators are using fake ICE gear, including jackets, patches, badges and vests that can be bought online for next to nothing."
Lawson-Remer is also requesting that the chief administrative officer send a letter backing the federal VISIBLE Act, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), which would require immigration officers to clearly identify themselves and ban face coverings.
During an Oct. 10 news conference, Lawson-Remer and elected leaders from the Chula Vista, La Mesa, Oceanside and San Diego city councils announced their support of policies to protect immigrants.
According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Lawson-Remer said the proposals were also about "who we are as a community."
"San Diegans deserve to feel safe and respected when we walk into county buildings, and we must know that county government is on our side, fighting to protect our rights and freedoms," she added in the U-T report.
The supervisors' regular Tuesday meeting starts at 9 a.m. inside the County Administration Center, located at 1600 Pacific Highway.
