County ‘super sanctuary’ policy remains

Supervisors kill resolution to repeal immigration policy, which prohibits county cooperation with ICE, sparking debate over public safety, rights and more

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s resolution to repeal the county’s so-called super sanctuary policy for illegal and undocumented immigrants failed during Tuesday’s meeting. Courtesy image

COUNTY — Another heated and emotional discussion centered on San Diego County’s so-called “super sanctuary” status.

Supervisor Jim Desmond brought forward a resolution during Tuesday’s meeting to repeal the county’s L-2 policy preventing most county departments from coordinating with immigration officials such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Desmond said the repeal plus his resolution would target illegal or undocumented individuals who have been arrested, convicted and residing in jail.

However, the supervisors killed the item in a 2-1-1 vote as supervisors Monica Montgomery Steppe and Terra Lawson-Remer voted no and abstained, respectively. Per board policy, the abstention vote ensured the item died and would not return at the next meeting.

“I want to be absolutely clear, this repeal is only about people here illegally who’ve been convicted of high-level crimes,” Desmond told the board and audience. “There are people convicted of high-level crimes and are in our jails. This is not about mass deportation or sweeps. This is only about criminals in our jails here illegally. They should not be allowed to stay.”

The issue exploded last year when the board approved the L-2 policy on Dec. 10, 2024, which was brought forward by former Supervisor Nora Vargas. Desmond, among others, railed against the policy for going above and beyond state law under Senate Bill 54.

The county’s L-2 policy prohibits all county departments outside the sheriff’s department, from coordinating with ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol, among others. The policy states the county will only cooperate with federal officials if those entities present a valid arrest warrant, or writ, signed by a federal or state judicial officer.

The policy does not recognize an administrative warrant as grounds for the county to notify federal immigration officials.