San Diego County was among the 35 cities, counties and states on a "sanctuary jurisdictions" list published Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The list also includes the state of California, the cities of Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and San Francisco County.
The DOJ vowed to bring legal actions against these jurisdictions that it claims have policies, laws or regulations that interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”
This is the second such list published this year. In May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) placed the county and the cities of San Diego, Santee, Vista and Chula Vista on its list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," but quickly pulled the list after pushback.
In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing DHS and the Attorney General to publish a list of states and local jurisdictions they believe are obstructing federal immigration laws. Under the order, jurisdictions were supposed to be notified that they were on the list. If they continued to be under "defiance of federal immigration law enforcement," the DOJ could pursue legal actions.
County Board of Supervisors Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre said she didn't know if the county had been notified, but she said it was clear that the Trump administration is targeting immigrants and immigrant communities.
"As the only border county on that list, we know we understand the border. We understand that the only real border crisis that exists here is the border sewage crisis that is harming tens of thousands of families," Aguirre said. "We understand how interconnected we are with our neighbors to the south. The Cali-Baja region economy is about $80 billion per year. Our state is now the fourth-largest economy in the world, so I don't see it as a coincidence that that San Diego is on that list."
County Supervisor Joel Anderson, one of two Republicans on the board, declined to comment, but a spokesperson said Anderson has consistently opposed state and county sanctuary declarations. Jim Desmond, the other Republican on the board, has yet to comment.
There is no specific definition of a “sanctuary jurisdiction,” but the term is often used to refer to communities that don’t cooperate with immigration enforcement. Under California Senate Bill 54 (SB 54), state and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from assisting law enforcement agencies in immigration enforcement.
In May, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office said it "follows and enforces state law" and will not "enforce federal immigration law." The office has not responded to a request for comment this time around.
It is unclear at this time what being on the list means for the state or county. There is a fear that Trump could use the list as justification to withhold federal funding. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed 37 lawsuits to restore more than $168 billion in funding to the state.
“The Trump Administration cannot bully or intimidate state and local law enforcement into doing the federal government’s job for it, as it is attempting to do with the latest iteration of this list," Bonta said in a statement to KPBS. "Federal courts have already ruled that our state law, the California Values Act, is a lawful exercise of state authority under the 10th Amendment and does not conflict with federal immigration law."
