San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond
Earlier this week, I voted NO on a proposal that—despite passing—will make our communities less safe. I want to take a moment to explain why this matters for public safety in San Diego County.
The policy restricts law enforcement from accessing certain non-public areas inside County buildings, even when a dangerous individual is present. This means officers can’t act quickly, and federal authorities can’t safely take custody of someone inside a controlled environment.
On paper, it may sound like a procedural change. In reality, it creates real and dangerous consequences.
For years, California’s sanctuary laws have limited communication between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Instead of allowing federal officers to take custody of dangerous illegal immigrants while they’re already inside secure facilities, they’re forced into neighborhoods, near schools, and around families to track these individuals down.
That’s how raids happen — not because law enforcement wants them, but because policy forces them.
When communication breaks down, the public pays the price.
And sadly, we’ve seen the results:
In the past two weeks, an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old were killed by illegal immigrants who had been deported multiple times and had multiple DUIs.
These tragedies should never have happened. These individuals should never have been back on our streets.
This was not a failure by officers — it was a failure of policy.
When law enforcement can work together, coordinate, and identify dangerous individuals early, tragedies like these can be prevented. Restricting access inside County facilities only makes that job harder and creates more risk for families, children, and neighborhoods.
I voted NO because public safety must always come first.
We should be empowering law enforcement to work together — not putting up new barriers that make our communities more dangerous.
San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond
https://www.supervisorjimdesmond.com/
