The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved an agreement with the Mexican Consulate to increase legal defense services for Mexican nationals and improve access to "Know Your Rights" information.
According to the motion's sponsors, board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, the measure comes "as federal immigration enforcement intensifies, drawing more San Diego families into detention and removal proceedings without legal representation."
Lawson-Remer, Aguirre and Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe voted yes at Tuesday's meeting, while Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed.
The board authorized county officials to negotiate with the Mexican Consulate on legal services for those who face removal from the United States for being here illegally.
"This includes critical post-detention interventions such as bond assistance, habeas corpus petitions and (legal orders) — tools that can prevent prolonged detention and ensure fair legal outcomes," according to Aguirre and Lawson-Remer.
Lawson-Remer said the agreement is "about making sure San Diego County residents are afforded a fair day in court."
Mexican nationals are 24% of those in the county Immigrant Legal Defense Program's existing client database, "making this partnership directly relevant to the program's current caseload," the supervisors added.
Additionally, the county will partner with the consulate to distribute multilingual and culturally related Know Your Rights material at health clinics, libraries and social service offices.
"These resources will help families understand their rights, prepare for potential enforcement actions and plan for the care of their children in emergencies," according to Aguirre and Lawson-Remer.
They added that the agreement "leverages the consulate's trusted role in the community to deliver timely information, and builds on longstanding collaboration to better serve communities and close gaps in access to services."
The Mexican Consulate provides services such as documents, emergency assistance and legal orientation.
"By partnering with the Mexican Consulate, we're meeting people where they are with trusted information, real legal help and a pathway to stability during moments of crisis," Aguirre said.
In a statement Wednesday, Desmond said he voted no because the county "should not be funding the Immigrant Legal Defense Program."
"The last (presidential) administration let millions of people pour across our border unvetted, and now local taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill to defend those same individuals from deportation," Desmond said. "That's not our role. Our job is to invest in infrastructure and the core functions that serve San Diego residents — not to pick up the tab for the federal government's failures."
Last September, supervisors voted 4-1 to expand the ILDP to include unaccompanied immigrant children.
Supervisors first approved the program in 2021 to provide legal representation for immigrants facing deportation proceedings.
