Communities

By Miriam Raftery

View video of full Council hearing (Immigration agenda item begins at 37 minutes.)

January 29, 2025 – Emotions ran high during yesterday’s El Cajon City Council meeting, where a packed chamber heard testimony from 88 members of the public over a proposed over immigration enforcement resolution, followed by a heated Council debate that divided the all-Republican members during a hearing that ran over five hours.

The measure introduced by Mayor Wells, a revision from a version heard two weeks ago, aims to authorize El Cajon police to comply with federal immigration enforcement officials within the limits of state law and the Constitution for the purpose of removing violent criminals.

But the action comes on the same day that the White House Press Secretary indicated that the Trump administration views all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” even though crossing the border itself is a misdemeanor on the first offense, not a felony or violent crime.

Sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have begun nationwide, picking up many immigrants with no criminal record—including an El Cajon man with no criminal record who was awaiting his asylum hearing when arrested  this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his home in front of his five-year-old daughter, Councilman Michelle Metschel revealed in an impassioned speech.

“If this was just about violent criminals, I would be all for it,” Metschel (photo, right) said. “But today is a pivotal moment,” she added, noting that the Council’s decision would “change the course of history” for the city and many of its residents. She said El Cajon’s biggest crime problem was drug criminals comprising a portion of the homeless population, “not a single father raising his young girl, who was arrested down the street from me...He worked a full-time job and had a court date to become legal...His only crime was to come across the border.”

(Editor's note: the name of the arrested immigrant is Ulysses Gomez, according to Councilmember Metschel. ECM has learned that a man by this name had two prior arrests locally, according to the city manager, but that individual was never charged with or convicted of any crime, according to Court records. See full details in an update at the bottom of this story.)

Metschel made clear that she does not support El Cajon become a sanctuary city and wants to see violent criminals removed, but could not support the resolution after several dozen speakers voiced fears of authorities targeting people with brown skin and having to carry citizenship papers to avoid being sent to detention, and that many parents are now afraid to send their children to school, or report crimes to police. “This makes us look like racists. I want no part of it,.” Metschel affirmed, voicing dismay at "hateful rhetoric" by some speakers.

While some speakers voiced fear over authorizing police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities could lead to police providing information that could lead to arrests of people with no criminal record or even detention of citizens without papers, others urged the Council to support the measure, voicing concern for public safety. Though opponents outnumber supporters, both sides drew large turnouts.  The hearing was boisterous, with the audience frequently interjecting applause or jeers and the mayor threatening several times to clear the room if the audience wouldn'td quiet down.

Glenn Bagge, an El Cajon business owner, stated that ICE claims that are “650,000 criminals running loose in the U.S.” who are undocumented.  “To not allow our police officers to deal with these criminals in the proper fashion, to deal with federal agents, would be criminal,” he said.

Cory Gautereaux, a veteran, said that an immigrant who assaulted the young daughter of a Navy Seal was initially shielded from ICE due to state laws, which prohibit law enforcement from handing over undocumented immigrants unless they have been convicted of a violent crime. ICE did eventually gain access and found child pornography on the suspect’s phone, Gautereaux said. 

Of note, immigrants commit crimes at far lower rates than citizens; if an undocumented immigrant is charged with a serious felony, under California’s SB 54 law, they would still be held accountable through the criminal justice system and if found guilty, could then be eligible for deportation.

Speakers against the resolution included representatives of immigrants’ rights and nonprofit groups. 

Mejgan Afshan, executive director of Borderlands for Equity, serves many immigrants and refugees in East County including Mexicans, Afghans, Somalis, Chaldeans and more.  “There are children scared of going to school for fear of losing their parents,” she said, referencing the Trump administration’s policy change this week allowing ICE to enter schools, churches and hospitals. “Councilmembers must avoid fearmongering and uplift the dignity of all residents,” she urged.

Yusef Miller, a cofounder of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition and Activist San Diego board member, stated, ”This is not about law and order. If it was, we would not be releasing all those people who stormed our capitol,” referencing Trump’s sweeping pardons and sentence commutations for all 1,500+ insurrectionists including those convicted of assaulting police officers. “What we see here is an attack on our brown community.” He likened the situation to the Fugitive Slave Act, which resulted in many blacks in free states being sent back to slavery.  “Do you support families, or do you support those who will bring fear...into our communities?” he asked the Council.

Brian Kougl (photo, left) with the San Diego organizing project, wearing a T-shirt with the statue of liberty proclaiming ‘I’m with her,’ said mass deportations are unpatriotic, immoral and wrong. “You should not support the hate-filled agenda of a delusional convicted felon,” he said of President Donald Trump, who has 36 felony convictions.

Immigration lawyer Maria Chavez with Partner for Advancement of New Americans said she represents immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in El Cajon.  “I fight for them every single day, and you need to, too,” she stated.

Dilkhwaz Ahmed with License to Freedom, an El Cajon nonprofit helping immigrants and refugees who are victims of violence, implored the Council to vote down the resolution. She noted that many immigrants have endured horrible conditions, such as an Afghan woman who was “raped over and over again” on her journey here; such individuals could face physical harm or death if deported. Though refugees are here legally, Trump has blocked new refugees from entering and has threatened to remove protected status from some refugees in the U.S., which could include Afghans.  

Some likened the national immigration crackdown to fascism and Nazism.  Nicole Bacca, a nurse, observed, ”Two weeks ago we saw Elon Musk onstage give Nazi salutes.”  Trump has named Musk to head up a committee charged with improving government efficiency. She noted that earlier campaign promises to deport only violent criminals have proven false, with long-term residents with no criminal records now being taken into detention camps or deported and even churches and schools subject to seizure of immigrant children and parents.  “Call it what it is—fascism, while people like Bill Wells seek power,” she said. “No surrounding cities are doing this...Choose compassion over fear and division,” she concluded.

An immigrant woman said she feared being stopped for papers, likening the situation to Jews forced to wear yellow stars before they were mass deported and millions killed in Hitler’s concentration camps during World War II. A Native American woman voiced concerns over Native Americans being stopped and said her grandmother, a Native-born American, was once deported because she couldn't speak English.

Sam Halpern said his family arrived in the 1800s to escape persecution.  “Our nation was built by immigrants,” he said, noting that our nation has historically welcomed immigrants seeking freedom.  He said this should include “freedom from jackboots at the door. Why do we rush to intimidate people seeking the American dream?”

But Republican Amy Reichert (photo, right) with Reform San Diego denounced as “offensive” speakers who invoked Nazism and the Holocaust.  She said she was raised Jewish, then added, “I gave my heart to Jesus in my 30s. Jesus did seek asylum—legal asylum,” she added, drawing laughter from the crowd. She voiced anger at nonprofit leaders who help migrants as “profiting off illegal immigration” and dismissed fears voiced by many speakers, then threatened, “The only people who should be afraid are the people who vote against this. There will be ramifications.”

After the hearing, Reichert sent out an e-mail blast to conservative followers, with a headline claiming that the Council majority had voted to “keep sanctuary city status.” That is false, since El Cajon has never been a sanctuary city and every council member has voiced opposition to sanctuary city policies. No new protections for immigrants were adopted, nor were any existing ones removed by Councilmembers.

Update: After this article ran, Reichert emailed ECM stating, "I never called El Cajon a Sanctuary city in my email."

This is also untrue.  See screenshot, left, with headline in her original email.

One of the final speakers was Bud Collins, who has worked with councilmembers on homeless outreach and said he believes that all love El Cajon.  He urged Council to pray and ask, “What would the Lord have you do?”  He then cited a Bible verse: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

A vigorous council debate followed public testimony in what the Mayor acknowledged was “the most contentious Council meeting ever.”

Councilmember Metschel led off by denouncing hate and making clear that she supported a middle ground—not becoming a sanctuary city, but neither committing to a path to support federal actions that instill fear across many community members and could result in deportations of people with no criminal record, like her neighbor, ripped apart from his 5-year-old daughter.

Later she revealed, “Nobody knows where the little girl is.  It’s crucial that our police officers have trust in the entire community, no matter what color, what religion they are.” If we lose that, we are less safe as a community,” she said, noting that some would be afraid to report crimes as witnesses or victims. 

She acknowledged, “This could be the end of my political career. I don’t care, because I stand up for the people here.”

Councilman Gary Kendrick talked about his mother, who was born in Czechoslovakia. In 1939, with Hitler in power, her best friend and her friend’s family disappeared, as well as her boss, who was Jewish and never heard from again. Kendrick’s mother married a U.S. soldier and the family often vacationed in Mexico. But when Kendrick was 12, he recalled a checkpoint officer saw her European-style smallpox vaccination on her arm and asked for her passport, which she didn’t have with her.  “I was scared out of my mind...That was 50 years ago and I’m still traumatized,” Kendrick said, adding that the experience resonates today with what many immigrants now fear could happen here. 

“If we comply with the feds, it’s like a blank check,” he pointed out, adding that the city doesn’t know all that the feds may ask of local authorities.  “It keeps changing,” he said.  “We have 70 ethnic groups in El Cajon and we get along remarkable well.  We don’t have gang wars. I did my research and found out that immigrants commit half (the rate) of crimes that citizens do...They pay landlords and do jobs others won’t,” noting that most agricultural workers are immigrants, including many who are not documented.  “I’ve listened to both sides....I am concerned about the criminal element,” he acknowledged.

Kendrick and Metschel then introduced an alternative resolution that they drafted before the meeting. It praised the contributions of immigrants and declared intent for the city to follow state law, which already allows police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities for violent criminal undocumented immigrants.

But Councilman Phil Ortiz, whose district is predominantly Latino and Middle Eastern immigrants and whose grandmother came here as a pregnant immigrant, objected. Ortiz stated that “our rules and laws” are what makes America different from other nations. He cited a World Health Organization estimate that there are 2.5 million people worldwide living in poverty, and that we can’t let everyone into the U.S. He praised the presidents of El Salvador and Argentina for reforms that he said reduced crime and poverty.

“I don’t see any issue with our police, if the come across these people, to call ICE,” he said.  While acknowledging immigrants’ contributions to our economy, insisted Ortiz, who coauthored the Mayor’s resolution. “The rule of law has to apply.”

Councilman Steve Goble sought to find a middle ground, asking numerous questions and introducing several alternative proposals that failed to win adequate support for adoption. While he made clear that he wants violent criminals removed, he observed, “The question is how to get them out of our city...who’s going to do it?” He later noted, “We have so much to do with homelessness, we can’t take on immigration...I don’t think we can assist with federal enforcement action,” he added, noting state laws prohibiting most cooperation.  “Let the state and the feds fight it out,” he said of conflicting laws, “and let me concentrate on serve and protect.”

Mayor Bill Wells (photo, right) spoke last, insisting that the resolution isn’t about racism or Nazism. “I think this is about a war that ended on November 5^th.  It’s about Trump and non-Trump, progressivism versus conservatism.” He added that 57% of the people in El Cajon voted for Trump “and knew where he stood on immigration.” He reiterated his view that if local police come into contact with an immigrant who is a gang member, for example, if police could cooperate with immigration officers, “We should.”

In the end, the Mayor’s resolution failed on a 3-2 vote with Councilmembers Kendrick, Metschel and Goble opposed, while Mayor Wells and Councilmember Ortiz voted in support.

Read the Mayor’s revised resolution that failed passage on pages 57-59 from City Council agenda attachments.

View ECM’s prior coverage on this resolution:

https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/el-cajon-council-will-vote-today-controversial-immigration-resolution

https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/latino-leaders-give-earful-el-cajon-city-council-over-proposed-immigration-resolution

Update Feb. 5, 2025:  A man named Ulysses Gomez, the same name as the immigrant arrested by ICE whom Councilwoman Metschel said was separated from his daughter,, did have a prior arrest in 2017 for driving under the influence and was ordered deported during Trump’s first presidency, then was arrested again in 2020 on a domestic violence accusation, according to El Cajon City Manager Graham Mitchell.  Mitchell suggests that ICE may have been following up on the 2017 deportation warrant. 

However, A check of San Diego Superior Court records by ECM found no listing for Ulysses Gomez, indicating that no trial occurred. Mitchell told ECM that it appears " the DA decided not to pursue either of the cases, so he was arrested for, but not charged or convicted.”

The arrest by ICE last week suggests that the Trump administration may be including individuals who were accused but not convicted of crimes, raising the possibility that innocent individuals could wind up deported to their home countries or potentially locked up in Guantanamo, where the Trump administration says it wants to send 30,000 deportees. Metschel has advised ECM that since this article ran, Gomez's daughter has been sent to stay with family members. Gomez was sent to the Otay Mesa detention facility pending deportation.

Correction:  Councilmember Metschel voted no on both the Mayor's resolution and Coucilman Goble's compromise measure. Councilman Ortiz voted in favor.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Opponents of resolution rallied Monday in El Cajon; CBS 8 video screenshot

Read the revised resolution on pages 57-59 from City Council agenda attachments

January 28, 2025 (El Cajon) – A crowd of about 75people opposed to mass deportations held a rally outside El Cajon’s City Hall yesterday to speak out against Mayor Bill Wells’ proposed resolution for the city to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The City Council will hold a hearing today at 3 p.m. on the controversial measure.

Changes have been made since the last meeting, adding praise for the city’s “vibrant and diverse immigrant communities” but also declaring the city’s intent to “comply with federal immigration law to the legal extent permissible under SB 54 and other applicable laws to remove violent criminals from our community.” SB 54 is a state law which prohibits cities from turning anyone over to federal immigration authorities unless they have been convicted in court of committed certain serious felony crimes, such as murder or rape. 

But President Donald Trump has declared a border emergency and  ordered immigration officials to conduct broad sweeps in immigrant communities. In recent days, people including citizens have been stopped,  asked for documents to prove citizenship, and many have been detained. Trump has stated his goal is to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.—going far beyond the small percentage convicted of felonies.

His administration has set forth quotas to arrest 1,000 to 15,000 immigrants daily, 75 for each Border Patrol district every day. Agents have been going into shopping areas, fields, and are now authorized to enter schools, churches, and hospitals to arrest immigrants.  Trump has also voiced his intent to denaturalize some citizens and to revoke legal status for some immigrants with special protected status, such as Haitians.

Might the Trump administration in the future ask local cities and police to assist in handing over citizens whose legal status has been arbitrarily revoked? What if Trump revokes legal status for Iraqi and Afghan immigrants granted special protected status for helping our military? Already, Trump has blocked flights for Afghans and others granted refugee status, including some who helped our military and could face death if returned to their homeland, as well as family members of active duty U.S. military.

Mayor Bill Wells notes that the Trump administration has threatened to arrest city officials who don’t cooperate on immigration arrests, while state law mostly prohibits this, putting cities “between a rock and a hard place.” The city sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta seeking clarification on the city’s legal obligations regarding immigration, and whether the state would indemnify the city if it did not comply with federal orders. Bonta has sent a reply, which included a long list of links and information, but did more to muddy the waters than clarify the points raised.

He added in a CBS interview,“If someone commits a crime, and we catch them...we should be able to tell ICE what is going on.”  That goes against the principle in the U.S. that a person is presumed innocent until a judge or jury finds them guilty of a crime.  Detention or deportation without a trial raises the specter of  what has happened under third-world dictatorships in some countries, where thousands of people have disappeared after being merely accused of crimes, including political dissidents.

“The people, divided, will never be united,” the crowd chanted at yesterday’s rally.

Some voiced fear or anger over the proposed resolution. A woman named Violet, whose last name was not provided, tearfully said a friend was just picked up by immigration authorities.  She shared a cell phone photo showing Border Patrol officers in El Cajon.

Others voiced fear of being stopped and asked for papers to prove citizenship, an action that arguably violates the 4^th Amendment ban on warrantless searches. One rally participant suggested that if this goes through, the Mayor and Councilmembers will lose in the next election.

Some Councilmembers have voiced concerns over the resolution.

Councilmember Michelle Metschel noted that a resolution is not needed to affirm public safety or seek clarification on the laws from state or federal authorities. She noted that many who spoke against the resolution had voiced legitimate fears, the said, ”I originally signed on to support this,” she said of the resolution, “but as an adult and a representative of my community, I’m entitled to chance my mind as I get more information and as people talk to me,” Metschel added, drawing applause. “These are the heart and soul of what we’re representing,” she said of the speakers present. “I am elected to support them.”

At the last Council meeting on January 14, as ECM reported,  Vice Mayor Gary Kendrick revealed, “My mother was living in Czechoslovakia in 1939 when Hitler came in. They said `Jews have to wear yellow stars, but that’s all that we’re doing.’ Then the Gestapo came for her boss, they dragged him out of the office to wash cars, then they dragged him out again and nobody ever saw him again...I’m very concerned about civil rights, because things tend to creep along and get worse..”

Kendrick also praised immigrants for their contributions to the community and agreed with earlier speakers who said if police are cooperating in turning undocumented immigrants over for deportation, many El Cajon residents would be afraid to come forward to report crimes if they are victims or witnesses. ““I don’t want people living here in fear,” he concluded.

Supporters and opponents of the resolution are expected to turn out in force at today's City Council meeting, which will be held at 3 p.m. at El Cajon City  County Chambers, 200 Civic Center Way in downtown El Cajon.

Green, Orange and Blue Lines now offer added flexibility and reliability for transit riders

Source:  MTS

January 27, 2025 (San Diego) - San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is increasing Trolley service for the Green, Blue and Orange lines, offering additional late night and weekend service to provide riders with more options to take transit.

Impact has left refugee aid groups locally and nationally in shock

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via Pentagon:  Troops evacuating Afghans after fall of Kabul

January 26, 2025 (San Diego) – Following an executive order issued by Donald Trump to suspend refugee resettlement,  the Trump administration has cancelled all flights for over 10,000 refugees already approved to resettle in the United States. According to Associated Press. This includes over 1,660 Afghans who helped America’s military as well as relatives of active-duty U.S. military personnel, Reuters reports.

The impacts hit hard in San Diego County, which in recent years has resettled more refugees from around the world than any other county in the U.S. including refugees from Africa, Asia, war-torn Middle-Eastern countries such as Iraq and Syria, Ukraine and other European nations, Haitian refugees fleeing natural disasters, and many more.

“This executive order is a step backwards for America,” the International Rescue Committee states on its website, urging the Trump administration to reverse the order. 

The Trump administration has taken down entirely the State Department's page on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

The IRC, which helps to resettle vulnerable refugees, warns, “If the program is not restored, political dissidents, religious minorities, and the most vulnerable victims of war and disaster will pay the price, and so will the United States.”

The 1980 Refugee Act established the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which has been managed by the U.S. government, working with the United Nations Refugee Agency to identify, screen and vet backgrounds of refugees for resettlement in the U.S. This has historically been a bipartisan effort that has significantly boosted the economy.

Refugees have contributed a net positive $124 billion to the U.S. economy from 2005 to 2019, the IRC site states, citing a Health and Human Services webpage that the Trump administration has since taken down.

The Trump order claims,"The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees.  This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States." The order cites no studies to support any of these statements.

Photo, right by Rachel Williams, East County Magazine: Syrian refugee children in El Cajon, 2016

San Diego Navy veteran Shan VanDiver is president of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of veterans and advocates who have helped Afghans obtain permission to resettle in the U.S. after the fall of Kabul at the end of the war in Afghanistan in August 2021. The organization’s policy goa states, “After 20 years of war, the United States has an obligation to help relocate and resettle those who risked all to assist our forces on the battlefield.

After the Trump order banning refugee flights, VanDiver told KPBS, “Veterans, advocates, Afghans are all freaking out, worried about the people that they love.”

He added that the Afghan refugees include “partner forces that stood alongside our U.S. forces” as well as “family, children, babies that were separated during the withdrawal and after. It means lawyers, judges, and prosecutors who put the Taliban away.”

Many have been waiting for years in Pakistan, Jordan, Turkey or other nearbyl nations before receiving permission to come to the U.S.  If returned to their homeland in Afghanistan, they could face ostracization, mistreatment or even death at the hands of the Taliban now in control. Others remain in Afghanistan.

Among those in limbo are the father, mother and two brothers of Omid Shiraz, an Uber driver who came to the U.S. on a special immigrant vias three years ago and plans to move to La Mesa this month. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Shirzad’s father was a general in the Afghanistan army who served with American troops and had a Priority One Visa under the U.S. refugee admissions program to come here.  Shirzad said of his family members now stranded in Afghanistan, ”They are sleeping with fear every night.”

Noori Barka in El Cajon, founder of the Chaldean Community Council and an Iraqi imimigrant, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Trump’s order could also affect Iraqis hoping to come to the U.S. A Trump supporter, he voiced hope that through negotiations, the Trump administration may be persuaded to change its order.  “I believe that we can make things happen if we approach it the right way,” Barka said.

The Alliance for African Assistance in San Diego posted on Facebook, "These harmful laws blocking refugee resettlement are a tragedy for America. Refugees have already enriched our economy and communities. Denying them the chance to contribute further undermines the values that built this nation."  The post notes that many famous people have come to the U.S. as refugees, including Albert Einstein and Madeleine Albright.

Krish O;Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refugee, one of 10 U.S. resettlement agencies, notes that refugees are different than asylum seekers who come to the border.  Refugees must be living outside the U.S. when they apply for resettlement and are typically referred by the United Nations to the U.S. State Department.

Unlike the undocumented immigrants whom Trump has long vowed to target, Vignarajah said in a statement issued January 22, “Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States.”

Sources:

Trump cancels flights for Afghan refugees approved to come to U.S. (KPBS)

Afghans who assisted U.S. troops among those targeted in federal suspension of refugee program (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Afghans who fled Taliban rule urge Trump to lift refugee program suspension (AP)

Alliance for African Assistance post on social media

International Rescue Committee statement on social media

Source:  Downtown El Cajon

January 24, 2025 (El Cajon) - For the first time in 30 years, dogs are wagging their tails back into downtown El Cajon! Join the city on Saturday, January 25th for the End of Pawhibition, a celebration of this historic ordinance repeal. This all-day event will be filled with pawsitively delightful activities for you and your four-legged friends.

Our El Cajon Living section covers the city of El Cajon and unincorporated El Cajon areas including Fletcher Hlils and Rancho San Diego.

Click here for fascinating facts about El Cajon.  For community and city links, click here.

FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT EL CAJON

El Cajon is located in Southern California, 15 miles east of San Diego and is the fifth largest of 18 cities in San Diego County.

El Cajon is Spanish for “the box”, a reference to its valley location.

The Spanish padres at San Diego’s mission once ran cattle and grew grapes in the El Cajon Valley.

El Cajon became a city in 1912 and recently celebrated its centennial. 

One of the first official acts of the new Council was to ban horse racing down Maine Street and ownership of livestock within the city limits.

In 1914, the city repealed a portion of that law to once again allow chicken ownership in El Cajon.

El Cajon and the Rancho San Diego area are home to 40,000 to 60,000 Iraqi Chaldean Christians, the second largest Chaldean population in the United States, after Detroit.

The Chase gold mine in El Cajon yielded over $100,000 in gold before it shut down during World War II.

The El Cajon/Rancho San Diego communities are home to two community colleges, Grossmont and Cuyamaca.

Each Sunday before Thanksgiving, El Cajon hosts the annual Mother Goose Parade, the largest parade of its type west of the Mississippi with floats, bands, equestrians, clowns, giant helium balloons, celebrities and Santa Claus.

Downtown El Cajon hosts Cajon Classic Cruises and Concerts on the Green all summer along, as well as HauntFest on Main at Halloween. America on Main Street is yet another annual festivity in downtown El Cajon.

The world-famous Taylor Guitars is located in El Cajon. Taylor has made guitars for many famous musicians from Taylor Swift to Kenny Loggins and bands from Chicago to the Rolling Stones.

El Cajon has had many residents achieve fame including Olympic diver Greg Louganis, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, Padres infielder Kurt Bevacqua, NFL quarterback Brian Sipes, and many other sports stars as well as James Wong, producer of the X-Files, and Lester Bangs, rock music critic for Rolling Stone magazine.

By Alyssa Hiestand

May 26, 2024 (El Cajon) -- Just fifteen minutes from Downtown San Diego lies El Cajon, bustling with small businesses, delicious eateries, and more to make any day or night well-spent. Offering an insider perspective, here’s what we’d recommend doing for the ultimate day on Main Street in El Cajon:

• Begin your day at Surje Coffee at the Gallery – a delightful fusion of your favorite cup of joe and the elegance of art! This unique stop along Main Street, open Thursday through Sunday, offers a one-of-a-kind way to start your day in El Cajon.  

• Spend your morning and early afternoon at The Weighorst Museum and The Water Conservation Garden, two prime examples of how El Cajon celebrates nature, art, and history. The Weighorst Museum pays homage to Olaf Wieghorst, renowned for his depictions of the nineteenth-century American West, including the cowboys, Native Americans, and settlers who shaped the Western landscape. The Water Conservation Garden showcases drought-tolerant plants, a butterfly pavilion, a soil erosion exhibit, and more, offering a unique perspective on environmental conservation. 

• Moving to lunchtime, we recommend Por Favor. It has served traditional Mexican fare to El Cajon since 1974, making it a popular destination for enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, burritos, Punta de Filete, Arroz con pollo, Carnitas and Fajitas. Happy hour runs daily from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and all day on Mondays! 

• Another option is Mal Al Sham Mediterranean Food, offering a modern interpretation of classic dishes. Also found along Main Street, a stop at this local eatery is a must, allowing guests to indulge in options like Mal Al Sham Falafel, Chicken Tikka, Hummus, and a variety of Kabobs!  

• Head to Burning Beard Brewery before the evening hits, a brewing operation local to El Cajon. It focuses on instilling quality, craftsmanship, and service into every bite and sip. Proudly serving their Burning Beard Hazy IPA is local venue The Magnolia – a nighttime staple for any great day in El Cajon! 

• End your day with a concert at The Magnolia. It’s the entertainment epicenter for connecting not only El Cajon but all of San Diego with diverse performers, including A-list concert artists, comedians, community events, live podcasts, and more! Following a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2019, The Magnolia includes free parking, pre-show happenings in an expansive outdoor plaza, a completely refurbished lobby bar serving craft beer and cocktails, a brand-new VIP Lounge, updated guest amenities, and stunning audio and visual capabilities. Upcoming performers include Iron & Wine, Joe Jackson, Whitney Cummings!

By Mike Allen

Photo: Workers at GKN opening ceremony

December 18, 2024 (El Cajon) -- The site that was once planned as an Amazon warehouse is taking shape to house some of the most sophisticated machinery in the world, as well as the skilled workers to run it.

Just across the street from Gillespie Field at the confluence of Cuyamaca Street and Weld Avenue is the new home for GKN Aerospace, a top tier aircraft components supplier and refurbisher of engines for such customers as Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, General Electric and Boeing.

GKN has been operating in El Cajon for more than 70 years, but its two segments, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and Repair Solutions, have been growing at such a nice clip, soit needed added room.

“We’ve outgrown that campus and needed a little more space so we decided to move the repair solutions here,” said Eric Viklund, vice president of strategic growth. The company held an opening day ceremony on December 17.

A “little” translates to about 162,000 more square feet or about a third of the new Weld Distribution Center that began construction some two years ago. Viklund said the plan is to relocate some 300 employees to the new facility, and hire another 50 workers next year. At the current West Bradley Avenue site, there are about 850 total employees, making it among the largest employers in East County.

GKN Aerospace said it spent about $55 million on the project both in construction and new machinery to maintain the competitive edge it has with its customers, which are most of the world’s airlines.

When you’re talking about that size of an investment, it isn’t done lightly and not without considerable research on the best location for the expansion, said Joakim Anderson, president of GKN Engines. But after going through the process, the company determined El Cajon, the site where it was already doing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work for the last 40 years made the best sense, he said.

“We’ve done repair work here for 40 years and it’s time to take it to the next level” Andersson said.

He noted the growth of commercial airline traffic is the key driver to the local expansion. Today, some 25,000 jets are flying the skies, but over the next two decades, “we think that’ll be 50,000,” he said. “That’s 100,000 engines.”

To give a value on what the aerospace industry means to the San Diego region and state, State Sen. Brian Jones (photo, second from right) noted in his speech that it employs more than 500,000 people, generates some $100 billion in revenue and about $7 billion in state and local taxes. “When aerospace does well, all sectors of the California economy benefits,” Jones said.

In a tour of the still unfinished warehouse floor, project manager Aaron Parkinson (photo, left) showed visitors the various steps that jet engine blades go through before being returned to the airline customers. The MRO work, which included the use of robotic machinery on the engine blades and other components “is our bread and butter. We do about 50,000 to 60,000 blades a year,” he said.

An average blade may cost about $150,000, although those made for the defense department, say for an F-35 jet, will run more than $1 million, so the industry’s emphasis is on maintaining aircraft equipment quality. A typical blade needs maintenance every six to seven years.

GKN is constantly reevaluating its systems and upgrading its technology in an effort to maximize the performance and longevity of the engine’s parts while minimizing the heretofore disposal of certain parts, Parkinson said.

“Our goal is to stop throwing components away.”

Both GKN executives and elected officials speaking at the ceremony noted the success the company has attained is largely the result of its dedicated and skilled workers, several hundred of whom were in attendance.

Assemblyman Chris Ward said the company’s expansion was mostly due to the company’s local workforce. “This is about the people here who are going to be able to make the business grow, and your investment is going to have a profound impact on this region, creating a lot of well-paying, high skilled jobs,” Ward said. On the firm’s website, he said there are openings for machinists, programmers, engineers and electricians.

Chris Blessum, GKN’s HR director, said the positions for the bulk of the staffing excluding management at the new facility pay annual salaries ranging from $55,000 to more than $130,000.

To help GKN get many of these jobs filled, the state of California’s Employment Training Panel recently awarded a $785,000 grant to the company.

While GKN Aerospace keeps a low profile locally, it’s known worldwide as a supplier of both aircraft parts that range from engine components, wing and fuselage parts, electrical systems and windows, and a dominant player in the MRO space. It competes in both the civil and defense realms. As a subsidiary of Melrose PLC, a London stock exchange traded company, GKN is on track to surpass 3 billion pounds in revenue this year with the repair solutions segment alone exceeding $100 million next year.

GKN’s roots can be traced to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in England, when the Dowlais Ironworks Co was founded in 1759 in Wales. The first products revolved around making iron parts for Britain’s new railroads and bridges, but also included cannon balls during the Napoleonic Wars. Ever evolving and shifting through the various changes inherent in technological progress, the company also acquired and merged and at one point in the 1900s was known as Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, Ltd.

Today, GKN Aerospace operates from 31 locations in 12 countries, employing some 16,000 workers, including its newest site in El Cajon.

By Miram Raftery

January 15, 2025 (San Diego) – President-elect Donald Trump has  pledged “mass deportations” of 11 million undocumented immigrants, most of whom do not have criminal backgrounds. But many people are unaware that he has also threatened to revoke temporary protected status (TPS) from some immigrants who are here legally.

San Diego’s  East County is home to many people who came here with TPS status, including Iraqis and Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, such as translators for our military, as well as Somalis and Sudanese displaced by civil unrest, and Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion.

Currently, 17 nations have TPS designations which protect immigrants such  as Afghans who helped the U.S. military,  Ukrainians, Syrians and Sudanese with war-torn homelands, and Haitians displaced by earthquakes and gang violence after the assassination of the nation’s president. The list also includes immigrants from Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Asked if he would revoke temporary protected status for TPS holders such as Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, Trump told News Nation,” Absolutely, I’d revoke it.”  

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has characterized TPS holders as “illegal aliens” adding, “We’re going to stop doing mass grants of Temporary Protected Status,” the New York Times reports.

Trump and Vance falsely claimed Haitians in Springfield were eating cats and dogs. They have refused to recant those claims, even though Springfield’s Police Chief said there have been no complaints of Haitians eating pets.

Revoking or failing to extend Temporary Protected Status could lead to deportation of many immigrants back to countries that are dangerous due to war or natural disasters. 

During Trump’s first administration, he tried to scrap the TPS program for immigrants in the U.S. from a half dozen nations with predominantly black, Hispanic, or Asian residents.  The American Civil Liberties Union sued and got a temporary injunction; that case was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court when Joe Biden took office and opted to keep the TPS program, so the case was never heard.  With a new conservative majority, including three justices appointed by Trump, however, a similar suit might well be decided in favor of axing TPS status for some or all recipients.

Trump also alienated many in the Iraqi Chaldean Christian Community in 2017, when his Department of Homeland Security identified some 1600 Iraqi nationals for removal, of whom 800 had committed no crimes. Others were decades-old, the Guardian newspaper in London reported.

Of those with criminal records, some had committed only minor offenses, such as a youth convicted of marijuana possession whose record was expunged when he became an adult, yet he was still among 300 Iraqis detained and threatened with deportation despite being a Catholic with cross tattoos, which could put him at risk of torture or death in a Muslim-ruled nation at a time when ISIS terrorists were murdering religious minorities.

One Iraqi man who did have a serious criminal history, also suffering from schizophrenia, died after he was deported to Iraq, after reportedly being beaten and denied insulin to treat his diabetes. Like many Iraqis in the U.S., he spoke no Arabic and had spent most of his life in America. The deportations of Iraqis were ongoing despite a “do not travel” advisory for Americans seeking to visit Iraq due to the dangers there including terrorism and armed conflict. 

Mass deportations of TPS recipients here legally, as well as undocumented immigrants, could rip families apart since children born here could remain, while one or both parents could be deported. 

Trump has also threatened to deport people sympathetic to Hamas, ostensibly to make college campuses safe. Could this mean deporting Palestinian immigrants and other students protesting the Gaza war?

He has previously shown animosity towards Muslims, notably with his ban on Muslim immigrants during COVID, which courts struck down as unconstitutional.

The question of who might be deported under the next Trump presidency is particularly relevant in communities such as El Cajon, where political leaders are wrestling with whether or not to publicly affirm an intent to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. At yesterday's meeting, after numerous Latino leaders voiced concerns, the Council asked staff to revise the ordinnance; it is expected to be consder at the next El Cajon Council meeting on January 28.

While some believe such a resolution would only support deportation of people who committed crimes, what if the Trump administration defines “crime” to include merely crossing the border illegally decades ago and seeks to deport all undocumented people, even “dreamers” brought here as children?  What if efforts go even further, with federal authorities asking local police to round up people whose TPS status is revoked, such as translators who helped our military and would face death if returned home?  Or people who fled violence and genocide in some African nations? 

Another issue for taxpayers is the cost of mass deportations. The American Immigration Council has estimated that to deport all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. would cost nearly a trillion dollars.

USA Today reports that Trump could use emergency and executive powers to bypass existing protections for immigrants.  He could activate powers from decades-old provisions once used to detain Japanese, German and Italians in the U.S. during World War II.  He could deploy the military and National Guard members to round up immigrants, push local police forces to cooperate in those efforts, and shift financial resources from other agencies to  fund mass deportations.

A key obstacle to Trump’s mass deportation goals is that most nations have said they will refuse to accept immigrants.  If no other nation will take them, that could mean immigrants rounded up could languish for years in detention camps. Based on conditions in detention camps during Trump’s first term of office, some immigrants’ lives could be at risk from diseases, stress, or other health-related concerns.

Currently, Congress provides funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain 41,500 people daily. But the American Immigration Council estimates that deporting even 1 million people a year, as Vance has proposed, would require increasing that 24-fold—a highly costly proposition.  If Congress balks at such steep funding, what would then happen to detained immigrants?

Meanwhile, immigrant communities across the U.S. are permeated with fear over the potential to be stopped at any time over the next four years, ripped from their homes, jobs and families, and potentially deported to a homeland they fled due to dangers that still remain.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/us/trump-immigrants-temporary-protected-status.html

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/temporary-protected-status-overview

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/17/iraqi-christians-face-deportation-conned-trump

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/06/trump-deportation-immigration/76088969007/

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7-part-f-chapter-10

https://www.uscis.gov/save/whats-new/afghan-special-immigrant-parolee-and-lawful-permanent-resident-status

https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-afghanistan

https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status

https://immigrationforum.org/article/bill-summary-deferred-removal-for-iraqi-nationals-including-minorities-act-of-2019/

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/07/iraqi-man-dies-deportation-trump-administration-1643512