San Diego County supervisors voted 3-2 to end contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to train at two local firing ranges. The decision was made over concerns about the Trump administration's policies on immigration.
The county-owned facility near the Mexican border and a Navy facility leased by the county have been used for years by ICE and CBP for training purposes. However, some supervisors expressed concerns that allowing these agencies to use the facilities would make the county complicit in what they see as harm caused to local communities.
Monica Montgomery Steppe, one of the supervisors who voted to end the contracts, stated that "federal immigration agents have harmed our communities many different ways here locally and throughout the nation." She added that the county does not want to be involved in these activities.
The decision has set up a potential showdown between the sheriff's office, which wants CBP to continue using one of the facilities, and the supervisors. Kelly Martinez, the elected sheriff, said she had informed ICE that it no longer has access to county facilities, but would allow CBP to use one of them. She defended CBP's work in combating border crime and facilitating trade and travel.
The vote was the result of pressure from residents who have been clamoring for the county to end its contracts with ICE and CBP. They see this as a way to stop contributing to what they describe as the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, which has led to family separations and violent confrontations between federal agents and local residents.
The decision is not without controversy, however. Jim Desmond, one of the supervisors who voted against ending the contracts, argued that law enforcement agencies should be working together and making agents travel farther for training would not accomplish anything.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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