By Miriam Raftery
Photo courtesy of Sky 10 via ABC 10 News, an ECM news partner
March 28, 2025 (El Cajon) – Federal immigration authorities raided the San Diego Powder and Protective Coatings company on Magnolia Ave. in El Cajon yesterday afternoon. A search warrant accuses the company of hiring undocumented workers, as well as fraud and misuse of visas, ECM news partner 10 News reports.
Shawn Gibson, ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge of San Diego, said agents arrested fewer than 20 people while executing a criminal search warrant. The arrests included administration arrests for violation of immigration laws as well as criminal arrests.
Employees told KPBS that around 50 workers were handcuffed and forced to stand in the sun, with requests for water denied, while agents verified immigration status of each person. U.S. citizens were later freed to leave, while others were taken into custody and face potential deportation.
Blanca Corona told KPBS that her husband, a youth soccer coach and the family’s primary wage earner was detained. “We have four kids,” she said, holding back tears. Corona said she and her children are citizens and that the family had hired a lawyer to help her husband adjust his status, but he was arrested anyway.
According Cto 10 News, agents with Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, along with what appeared to be several other law enforcement agencies, participated in the enforcement sweep.
The action is part of a nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants carried out by the Trump administration.
A spokesperson for Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, whose district includes El Cajon, said her office has sent inquiries to ICE and DHS to learn more and to assure that people’s rights and due process are being followed.
Serious questions over mistreatment of deported immigrants have been raised.
The Trump administration deported some to the infamous prison at Guantanamo Bay, but later returned those detainees to facilities in the U.S. following protests and a Congressional oversight visit. Some may be returned to their home countries or to other nations.
Recently, the Trump administration sent some migrants, allegedly violent Venezuelan gang members, to a prison in El Salvador infamous for human rights abuses. The administration officials defied a judge’s order to turn planes around that were flying migrants to El Salvador, amid concerns over due process rights violations. The judge is weighing contempt of court charges against administration officials.
Meanwhile the Trump Justice Dept. has asked the Supreme Court to intervene to allow the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
By Miriam Raftery
March 3, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Threats issued by President Donald Trump targeting colleges, universities and student protesters are illegal and unconstitutional, according to legal and civil liberties experts.
Today, Trump posted on his social media account, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or depending on on the crime, arrested.NO MASKS!”
The post comes on the heels of two executive orders issued by Trump which seek to pressure higher education officials to target immigrant students and staff for exercising First Amendment freedom of spech rights, including pro-Palestinian protesterrs or students critical of the U.S. government, culture, institutions or founding principals. Today's Truth Social post goes further, demanding that even students who are U.S. citizens be expelled and imprisoned for participating in campus protests if deemed "illegal.".
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have both issued statements criticizing Trump’s actions for pressuring colleges and universities to engage in conduct that would violate the U.S. Constitution and other laws. While violence and/or intimidation of individuals based on religious views, such as anti-Semitism, or national origin are already illegal and should not be tolerated on campuses, freedom to express controversial ideas is a core principal of higher education—and the ability to criticize governments and their policies is a critical component of our democracy, the civil rights legal experts make clear.
Below are their statements, both issued today.
Foundation for Individual Rights
Statement on President Trump’s Truth Social post threatening funding cuts for ‘illegal protests’
President Trump posted a message on Truth Social this morning that put social media and college campuses on high alert. ...
Colleges can and should respond to unlawful conduct, but the president does not have unilateral authority to revoke federal funds, even for colleges that allow “illegal” protests.
If a college runs afoul of anti-discrimination laws like Title VI or Title IX, the government may ultimately deny the institution federal funding by taking it to federal court, or via notice to Congress and an administrative hearing. It is not simply a discretionary decision that the president can make.
President Trump also lacks the authority to expel individual students, who are entitled to due process on public college campuses and, almost universally, on private campuses as well.
Today’s message will cast an impermissible chill on student protests about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Paired with President Trump’s 2019 executive order adopting an unconstitutional definition of anti-Semitism, and his January order threatening to deport international students for engaging in protected expression, students will rationally fear punishment for wholly protected political speech.
As FIRE knows too well from our work defending student and faculty rights under the Obama and Biden administrations, threatening schools with the loss of federal funding will result in a crackdown on lawful speech. Schools will censor first and ask questions later.
Even the most controversial political speech is protected by the First Amendment. As the Supreme Court reminds us, in America, we don’t use the law to punish those with whom we disagree. Instead, “[a]s a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate.”
Misconduct or criminality — like true threats, vandalism, or discriminatory harassment, properly defined — is not protected by the First Amendment. In fact, discouraging and punishing such behavior is often vital to ensuring that others are able to peacefully make their voices heard.
However, students who engage in misconduct must still receive due process — whether through a campus or criminal tribunal. This requires fair, consistent application of existing law or policy, in a manner that respects students’ rights.
President Trump needs to stand by his past promise to be a champion for free expression. That means doing so for all views — including those his administration dislikes.
American Civil Liberties Union
After Trump Admin Threats, ACLU Sends Letter of Support to Universities, Urging Them to Protect Campus Speech
ACLU makes clear the government cannot threaten funding to universities for fostering an environment of free speech and free inquiry
The American Civil Liberties Union today published an open letter to colleges and universities nationwide urging them to reject any federal pressure to surveil or punish international students and faculty based on constitutionally protected speech. This letter is prompted by two executive orders — Executive Order 14161, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other National Security and Public Safety Threats” signed on Jan. 20, 2025, and Executive Order 14188, titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,” signed on Jan. 29, 2025 — and related communications from the White House.
The guidance is especially timely after an early morning Truth Social post from President Trump threatening to stop federal funding for “any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” and proposing that “agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.”
“It is disturbing to see the White House threatening freedom of speech and academic freedom on U.S. college campuses so blatantly. We stand in solidarity with university leaders in their commitment to free speech, open debate, and peaceful dissent on campus,” said Cecillia Wang, legal director of the ACLU and co-author of the letter. “Trump’s latest coercion campaign, attempting to turn university administrators against their own students and faculty, harkens back to the McCarthy era and is at odds with American constitutional values and the basic mission of universities.”
According to the ACLU, the White House is attempting to pressure university officials to target immigrant and international students, faculty, and staff, including holders of non-immigrant visas and lawful permanent residents or others on a path to U.S. citizenship, for exercising their First Amendment rights. The letter outlines four key principles universities should adhere to when addressing campus speech:
- Colleges and universities should encourage robust discussion and exploration of ideas by students, faculty, and staff, regardless of their nationality or immigration status.
- Nothing obligates universities to act as deputies in immigration law enforcement — to the contrary, universities do not and should not veer so far from their core mission for good reasons.
- Schools must protect the privacy of all students, including immigrant and international students.
- Schools must abide by the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
“The federal government cannot mandate expulsion of students or threaten funding cuts to punish constitutionally protected speech on campus,” said Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “While the administration can enforce Title VI to ensure a learning environment free from harassment, it cannot force universities into adopting restrictive speech codes that silence the viewpoints the government disfavors.”
This is the fourth set of guidance from the ACLU to universities since 2023. Dozens of ACLU affiliates have taken legal action, conducted know your rights trainings, or issued additional guidance related to protest on campuses.
Related Documents
Federal judge from Maryland temporarily blocks the Trump administration from using ICE to arrest migrants in certain sensitive locations
By G. A. McNeeley
March 3, 2025 (Washington D.C.) - A federal judge on Monday, February 24, in Maryland, temporarily blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from conducting raids, and targeting and arresting migrants inside of a select few churches, temples, and other places of worship run by organizations that filed the lawsuit. View the ruling.
The lawsuit challenged an order by the Trump administration to allow ICE enforcement in sensitive locations, including places of worship, a change to a longstanding federal policy which prohibited enforcement actions in places of worship as well as schools and hospitals. The religious groups challenged this change as unconstitutional. The ruling came down on the side of the religious groups who sued the Trump administration in response to the policy change, after asking federal courts to intervene.
President Donald Trump ran on a platform of tougher immigration enforcement, and has promised the largest deportation effort in history. But educators and religious leaders say those efforts have already gone too far, and are also violating the rights of American citizens.
Federal Judge Favors Religious Groups
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, in Maryland, ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its subdivision, ICE, not to conduct immigration enforcement actions "in or near any place of worship" associated with the case brought by Quakers, Baptists, Sikhs, Mennonites, and Jewish congregations.
Unlike other nationwide restraining orders judges have issued against Trump administration policies in recent weeks, the order issued by Chuang only applies to the facilities used by a handful of the Quaker, Baptist and Sikh denominations and congregations that sued last month.
“Violations of this preliminary injunction shall subject defendants and all other persons bound by this order to all applicable penalties, including contempt of court,” Chuang wrote. This order doesn't apply to arrests authorized by an administrative or judicial warrant.
Chuang’s ruling is another setback for President Trump’s goal of strengthening immigration enforcement and conducting mass deportations of migrants who are in the country without legal authorization.
Chuang, who is based in Greenbelt, said the policy likely violated the groups’ First Amendment right to freedom of association, as well as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a federal law which restricts government activities that impinge on religious practice.
Chuang emphasized that his analysis was tailored to the houses of worship that filed suit because they explicitly welcome immigrants, regardless of legal status, and would logically be a target for potential Trump administration enforcement actions.
“In issuing this injunction, the Court does not question that law enforcement, when necessary, must have the ability to conduct operations in or near places of worship,” Chuang concluded. “The court finds only that at this early stage of the case, on the sensitive and fraught issue of when and under what circumstances law enforcement may intrude into places of worship to conduct warrantless operations, the 2025 policy’s lack of any meaningful limitations or safeguards … does not satisfy these constitutional and statutory requirements.”
The Changes That Are Being Made
For decades, federal immigration agents have generally avoided conducting enforcement sweeps or detentions at what the federal government deemed "sensitive" areas, although there were exceptions in emergencies.
The Biden administration in 2021 expanded the order, and schools, churches, hospitals and local courthouses were deemed generally off-limits in order to permit everyone (including those living illegally in the United States) access to worship, healthcare, education and the courts to resolve speeding tickets or other legal matters. Biden’s expansion also included bus stops, playgrounds, food pantries, weddings and funerals.
The acting head of DHS, Benjamine Huffman, had issued a memo that immediately removed that long standing policy, and instead told agents to use "common sense" in making arrests where necessary.
"Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest," Huffman said. "The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense."
Chuang, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said in a 59-page opinion that the removal of those limits threatened the religious freedom of the groups seeking relief from the court.
“The substantial burden that the Trump administration policy is far from speculative and is already occurring,” wrote Chuang, who noted reports that congregations with large immigrant populations have drawn fewer attendees since the Trump directive was issued last month. “It is reasonable to expect that such enforcement actions will occur at plaintiffs’ place of worship where DHS specifically stated in its press release announcing the 2025 policy that ‘criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.’”
What Religious Groups Have To Say
Chuang's action means that about 1,700 places of worship associated with the plaintiffs' organizations in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will be temporarily spared from immigration enforcement operations.
The policy change was among the Trump administration's immigration actions criticized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, although that organization did not join multiple lawsuits brought by faith communities.
The lawsuit argued that any government policy based solely on common sense was an unconstitutional violation of freedom of association under the First Amendment. The lawsuit also said the policy violated the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
The Quakers said it violated their exercise of religion because having ICE agents park outside services and interrupting to “drag a congregant out during the middle of worship” would discourage attendance.
“For over 30 years, it has been the government’s official policy to not enforce immigration laws in ‘protected areas,’ which include houses of worship (and other religious ceremonies like weddings and funerals), absent certain extraordinary circumstances. Rightly so,” the lawsuit said. “Enforcement in protected areas like houses of worship would, in the government’s own words, ‘restrain people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities.’”
The groups that sued over the policy include Quaker congregations in Philadelphia; Richmond, Va.; Maryland and New England, as well as a Sikh temple in Sacramento, and a coalition of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship churches headquartered in Georgia.
What Other People Have To Say
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, a group representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement, "For decades, the government has recognized that everyone, no matter their immigration status, should be able to attend houses of worship without fear of a warrantless government raid."
"Religious institutions should not have to go to court to fight for the right to worship and associate freely that is enshrined in our Constitution," Perryman said. "Our plaintiffs represent a unique and diverse coalition of religious groups that have been at the forefront in protecting values of religious liberty for centuries. We are grateful to the court for acting to limit this unlawful and harmful policy."
J. Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy at the Center for Migration Studies of New York and the former director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told OSV News, the judge's decision "is certainly a good sign because the court agreed that immigration enforcement at places of worship can be a violation of religious liberty."
Appleby added that "while the judge did not issue a nationwide ban on enforcement at churches, he opened the door to that possibility in future cases.”
In a statement provided to OSV News about the policy change, Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for public affairs, said, "We are protecting our schools, places of worship, and Americans who attend by preventing criminal aliens and gang members from exploiting these locations and taking safe haven there because these criminals knew law enforcement couldn't go inside under the previous Administration."
"DHS's directive gives our law enforcement the ability to do their jobs," McLaughlin added.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/24/immigration-enforcement-places-of-worship-00205760
By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
Photo: a child at Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s refugee shelter. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
February 17, 2025 (San Diego) - Faced with a halt in federal funding and and the closing of the border to refugees, Jewish Family Service of San Diego is shutting down its shelter and shifting focus to legal support of asylum seekers.
CEO Michael Hopkins said in a statement received Saturday that following the Trump administration’s suspension of the CBP One smartphone asylum-filing application on Jan. 20, no refugee individuals or families have been released to the shelter.
In addition, $22 million in promised federal funding has not been received, leading to future layoffs of the shelter staff.
“As a result of this change in federal funding and policy, on Feb. 10, we provided shelter services staff with 60 days’ notice,” Hopkins said. “We are working to identify any potential opportunities for re-engagement with our valued shelter services staff in other departments in the future.”
Since October 2018, JFS has assisted more than 248,000 people seeking asylum — providing temporary shelter, food, case management, medical and legal services, and travel coordination to reunite people with their loved ones across the United States. The shelter and associated services were considered a national model.
“We are proud of our dedicated staff’s tremendous, round-the-clock work to welcome people with dignity every day and of what we accomplished — centering humanity, prioritizing public health and keeping hundreds of thousands of new people to our community from becoming homeless on the streets of San Diego,” Hopkins said.
He said JFS would pivot to providing legal services for refugees, the Dreamers brought to the U.S. as children, and other immigrants.
“While there are no longer individuals or families seeking asylum released from short term federal immigration custody to our shelter services, we are seeing increased needs for immigration legal assistance and other social service supports to vulnerable San Diegans,” he said.
The agency was founded in 1918 to help Jewish refugees stuck in Mexico after World War I migrate to the United Sates. It now assists individuals of all faiths with a variety of social services, in addition to helping immigrants.
Issue prompts drive to recall Councilman Phil Ortiz
By Alex Schorr and Miriam Raftery
Photo, left: Resolution opponents hold up sign denouncing hate and likening ICE roundups to “Gestapo” tactics
February 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution allowing the city’s police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and hand over any undocumented who has been convicted of a violent crime, as well as immigrants merely accused of a crime. The measure was introduced by Mayor Bill Wells, with backing of Councilmember Phil Ortiz and amendments by Councilman Steve Goble.
The meeting was contentious, sparked by numerous emotional outbursts, threats to recall Councilmember Ortiz for supporting the resolution, and playing of phone threats made against Councilmembers who voted against the measure previously.
Just two weeks ago, the Council rejected a similar proposal by a 3-2 vote, but reversed that action on Wednesday after Councilmember Goble switched sides.
“We’re not a sanctuary city,” said Goble, adding that the city should not hinder federal immigration authorities. He voiced support for deporting violent criminals, then revealed that he and Mayor Bill Wells held a meeting in December with Tom Homan, Pres Donald Trump’s border czar, on the issue.
California’s SB 54 law prohibits local law enforcement officers from participating in immigration sweeps and allows officers to only turn over undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they have been convicted of certain serious felony crimes and if there is a judicial warrant. But the Trump administration is rounding up many immigrants who have not been convicted of crimes. Both the federal and state government have threatened legal actions against cities that comply or defy SB 54. Ultimately, Goble said he wants to see SB 54 amended to allow more cooperation between police and ICE.
The revised resolution includes several amendments, including one proposed by Goble asking the U.S. Attorney General to indemnify El Cajon and defend its police officers against state challenges over immigration actions. “I don’t want this conflict to punish our police officers,” said Goble, who insisted that the resolution is for the “sole purpose of getting rid of serious and violent criminals and to protect the people of El Cajon.”
But the resolution allows far more than that in authorizing police to handover people merely accused of a crime to ICE for deportation, including to foreign prisons or the infamous Guantanamo Bay “Gitmo” prison without any opportunity for due process or a trial.
In public comments, 46 speakers addressed the Council in heated testimony on both sides. Repeatedly, participants caused vocal disturbances, booed or cheered, and several made racially charged remarks. Several times, Mayor Wells called brief recesses due to disruptions, at one point threatening to “move this upstairs and leave you all out of it,” with only press allowed to be present.
Patricia Mondragon (photo, right), regional and policy manager for Alliance San Diego, said Trump’s promise to remove only violent criminals is “a lie. In city after city, nonoffenders are being detained and living in fear.” Mondragon warned that even some immigrants with legal status, such as those who lawfully requested asylum and are awaiting hearings, are being swept up by ICE.
Mondragon said the resolution’s backers have mischaracterized numbers provided by ICE last year, which suggested that 640,000 undocumented criminals in the U.S. are not detained. In fact, about a third of those have not been convicted of any crime. Of those convicted, many or perhaps most are already in prisons. That data spans decades, so some of those individuals may have died or left the U.S. on their own.
She believes Mayor Wells is “setting the city up as a litigant to challenge existing state law” and “asking the Attorney General for permission to violate state law.”
Many speakers characterized the resolution as racist and voiced fears that people with brown skin will face racial profiling.
Dr. Sergio Conte (photo, left) said he loves living in El Cajon, which has over 70 ethnic communities. He spoke of enjoying ethnic restaurants, walking his dog in the park among people of many cultures, and watching children from Afghanistan playing cricket. “We never had these problems until the Mayor divided us,” he said. Now we are white against brown people...Why? In 116 years we never had one councilmember to represent our community,” he said, noting that 35% of El Cajon voters are of Spanish heritage.
Then he directed his outrage at Councilmember Phil Ortiz—and issued a recall election threat. “We are going to recall you in 90 days, on March 10,” he told Ortiz, “because you were elected by the Latino community and you hate us...We are not criminals.” Ortiz represents a heavily Hispanic district; state law allows recall of an official 90 days after their current term of office begins.
But Mary Davis (photo, right) sees the resolution as “standing up for law and order.” She insists that isn’t racist. While opponents spoke of “kids in cages” in detention camps, Davis spoke of “kids in coffins.” She held up a photo of three children whom she said were killed in Sacramento by an undocumented father after he was arrested for a violent offense, then released.
Closer to home, RAD movement cofounder Sharie Finn says her child was raped and trafficked by an “illegal immigrant who is sitting in prison right now” but was not deported. She said the RAD movement’s volunteers have rescued children being trafficked locally. Finn supports the resolution because “this is one step to help our officers in getting violent offenders off the streets, period.”
Several speakers referenced the Lincoln-Reily act just passed by Congress and signed by President Trump. It mandates federal detention of immigrants accused of even non-violent crimes such as theft.
“We’re talking about sending El Cajon residents to foreign concentration camps without a trial,” one woman said, noting that a notorious prison in El Salvador, which has offered to take in deportees, has had people die of dehydration.
Others predicted the resolution would mire the city in costly litigation. Lawsuits potentially be filed by the state of California as well as immigrant rights and civil rights organizations, since the resolution could be challenged as unconstitutional for violating due process and a right for accused persons to have a speedy trial, since the Constitution applies to everyone in the U.S, regardless of citizenship statues.
Some supporters lobbed inflammatory statements. One woman called for all undocumented immigrants to be deported, adding, “Anybody up here who would like to have a sanctuary city should be arrested...Anybody that wants to protest and burn our flag should be arrested also.”
Some opponents likened ICE tactics to fascism or Nazism. Others quoted Bible verses to support positions on both sides.
Amy Reichert from Restore San Diego (photo, right) spoke in support of the resolution, stating, “This should not be a debate. We should not be called anti-Christian or racist.”
The final speaker, Julianne, told the Council that in 1931, “Mexicans were rounded up from hospitals, from cities, from their homes....they were summarily put in boxcars and trucked to Mexico....One of them was my grandfather. He was taken out of the hospital and sent to Mexico City; he was not from Mexico City...My grandmother despairingly went after him with my mother and my aunt; both were born here in the United States” and remained in Mexico until 1965.
She offered a chilling warning about “people who do not learn history and do not remember history. As you can see, it will be done again—and we need to learn from that.”
After the public speakers, Councilmembers held a discussion.
Councilman Gary Kendrick had the City Attorney clarify that SB 54 was challenged in federal court in 2017, but was upheld as constitutional by atrial court and by the 9th circuit court, with the Supreme Court allowing the law to stand without hearing it, making “SB 54 the law of the land,” Kendrick noted.
He then asked City Manager Graham Mitchell to dispel misinformation circulating online claiming that El Cajon is a sanctuary city. Mtichell made clear, “Not once in the nearly 25 years that I’ve been city attorney has the Council adopted a resolution, ordinance, or anything else that the city is a sancturay city.”
Kendrick asked if an officer violates SB 54, can the state remove their certification to serve as a police officer in California? The City Manager looked up state law and later confirmed that while SB54 doesn’t expressly require decertification, there are provisions that if an officer “violates state law or demonstrates bias, the state can take away your certification.”
Kendrick made clear, ”I don’t want to put our police officers in jeopardy or make it difficult to do their job.” He noted that the police need people willing to cooperate as witnesses and report crimes, not be afraid of police. As a Sunday school teacher, he voiced concern over ICE now being allowed to enter churches, schools and hospitals, adding that if people are afraid to go to clinics or hospitals for treatments or vaccines, diseases such as strep throat, measles or chicken pox could spread. “This is hurting our community,” he said.
He noted that no other local cities have passed such a measure, and only one other city of 480 in California has done so.” Let’s see how all this works out through the courts,” he said, voicing concern over costly lawsuits.
Kendrick also condemned callers who left “profane” and “disgusting” messages on his voice mail at City Hall, the played several of them as examples.
The majority of you are traitors to this country and all your information is public,” one caller threated. Another demanded after the last meeting, “Why did you vote no to get rid of all the dirty, stinking illegal aliens?” One message called him a “retarded, fat piece of s**t.” Yet another denounced Kendrick’s mother, who lived in Czechoslovakia when the Nazis took her Jewish boss, who was never seen again. “Goddamn you to f**ing hell and your mother is a f***ing whore,” the caller ranted.
Kendrick indicated that Councilmember Michelle Metschel received similar messages after voting against the resolution. Both say they support deporting convicted violent criminals as SB 54 allows.
“I am disgusted at such an attack on the democratic process through these attempts at intimidation and the threats that are completely against American democracy,” Kendrick said, drawing a standing ovation (photo,left)
Councilmember Metschel used her time to push back against a woman who forwarded an email that spread on the internet, in which Metschel apologized for becoming emotional in what she termed “bad behavior” at the last meeting, though other speakers applauded her for taking a strong stand. In an ironic tone, she thanked those who spread the message and “making sure the public knew a public official could be human and not jaded.”
Metschel then confronted Amy Reichert over her statements repeatedly claiming El Cajon voted to “stay a sanctuary city” including on an Instagram post and an email to supporters. Reichert leaped out of her seat in the audience, shouting repeatedly at Metschel in an angry outburst that prompted calls for her removal. Instead, the Mayor announced a 10-minute recess for “cooler heads” to prevail.
Councilman Ortiz (photo, left) doubled down on his stance in favor of the resolution. “I want violent criminals removed and I have big problems with SB 54,” he said. He noted that many crimes are not included on the list of those for which immigrants can be handed over to ICE, ranging from shoplifting and theft to disorderly conduct, forgery, fraud, drug offenses and arson.
“I’m not going to be pressured or bullied or shouted into saying that this resolution is something that it’s not,” he said. Ortiz called generalizations on both sides “crazy” such as “every immigrant is a criminal” as well as accusations that “I hate Mexicans.” That’s not true.”
Councilman Goble, who cast the swing vote, insisted that it’s about “public safety” but declined to acknowledge the serious concerns raised over potentially innocent people being deported without a trial or conviction. “I will support this resolution because I authored a resolution to support the backs of our police officers who have our backs,”he said, drawing a chorus of both cheers and jeers from the audience.
Mayor Wells made clear that he supports deportation without convictions in court, calling the resolution “a no brainer. We arrest someone for doing something bad who does not belong in this country, we should be able to do anything we can to get them out of this country.” Mayor Wells noted that the majority of El Cajon voters voted for Trump and wanted change.
He then denounced vocal opponents of the resolution as “completely disingenuous” adding, “People just tuned you out, because they know that you are liars.”
Wells made a motion to approve the resolution, which was seconded by Ortiz. The measure passed 3-2, with Metschel and Kendrick opposed.
The audience erupted into a mixture of gasps, jeers, and cheers, with some chanting, “Recall Phil.”
Latinos in Accion has now launched a website, https://www.recallphilortiz.com/, in Spanish and English.
By Miriam Raftery
Photo via Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego on Facebook
February 11, 2025 (San Diego, CA) – Multiple faith leaders and a crowd of around 1,500 people overflowed the St. Joseph Cathedral and then held a procession to the federal building downtown and prayers in support of undocumented immigrants, chanting “our neighbors, our coworkers, our brothers and sisters,” the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego posted on Facebook.
Cardinal Robert McElroy, whom the Pope has appointed Archbishop of Washington D.C., spoke at the event, as did Episcopalian Bishop Susan Brown Snook and other faith leaders.
“Just as Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to flee oppression to another land when they were on this Earth," Cardinal McElroy said, “So too we must stand with those who are immigrants here in our midst now and make sure that their safety is secure, and that humanity is respected.”
The Cardinal acknowledged that countries have a right to control their borders, but said such actions should be done humanely. “This undifferentiated war of fear on our undocumented population is unacceptable and certainly contrary to Catholic faith,” he stated.
We can either move forward with a focused effort to secure the border in a way that is humane and respected of human rights,” the Cardinal added, “or else we're going to embark upon, and are beginning to embark upon, a crusade which will end up breaking up families, causing untold suffering among our people.”
Bishop Snook from the Episcopalian Diocese of San Diego urged those present to “remember what God has called us to do, which is to love our neighbors and exercise compassion on those who suffer and are vulnerable.
She added, “People are afraid to go to school or to go to food pantries or to go to church and exercise their freedom of religion,” 10 News reports.
Young people also spoke out on the sacrifices made by their immigrant parents to build a new life in the U.S., calling for immigrants to be treated with dignity and compassion, the Roman Catholic Diocese posted on Facebook.
Resources and rights of immigrants
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is working to provide information for immigrants and their families in the wake of mass deportations and harsh immigration policies imposed by President Donald Trump.
Catholic Charities is launching a webpage to provide “reliable information, such as the rights of immigrants, how to find a relative if he or she has been detained, and what legal documents may be needed, like power of attorney. Resources and training also will be available to parishes,” the diocese posted.
Click on these links to view resources including rights for immigrants:
emergencysafetyplan.org (English)
plandeemergencia.org (Spanish)
Prayer of the Migrant
To travel to You, Lord, is to live,
To leave is to die a little,
Arriving is never arriving definitively until it rests in You.
Thou, Lord, knew the migration,
And thou hast made it present to every man who understands what it is to live,
And he wants to arrive safely at the harbor of life.
Thou brought Abraham out of his land,
father of all believers.
You remembered what were the ways to get to You,
By the prophets and apostles.
Thou hast made thyself a Migrant from heaven to earth,
In the womb of your mother you conceived,
In your hasty escape to Egypt,
by the way sowing, the Gospel,
multiplying the bread, healing the sick,
And returning to the Father in your ascension.
Grant us steadfast faith, confident and joyful hope,
Burning and generous charity,
to emigrate with peace in the soul
And get to You every day and the last day.
Amen.
The above prayer was offered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
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 thi
s 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 5th. 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:
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
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 thi
s 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 5th. 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:
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: screenshot of aerial video by ECM news partner 10 News shows military troops with razor wire at a staging site in the South Bay, as troops prepare to deploy to fortify U.S. - Mexico Border and aid in Trump crackdown on border crossings.
January 26, 2025 (San Diego) – A tough crackdown on immigrants has begun, after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the Southern Border. On Thursday, 1,500 active-duty military troops have been deployed to patrol the borders in San Diego and San Antonio, Texas, with the first soldiers arriving Thursday. 10 News shot footage showing troops, including hundreds from Camp Pendleton, arriving at staging area in Imperial Beach along with concertina razor wire, tents, and military trucks.
Yet according to Associated Press, data doesn’t back up Trump’s contention of an “invasion” of immigrants. In fact, AP reports, “arrests for illegal border crossings plummeted more than 80% to about 47,000 in December from an all-time high of 250,000 the same period a year earlier. Arrests fell by about half when Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders a year ago and by about half again when former President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions in June.”
Immigration sweeps have also begun across the nation, striking fear into immigrant communities as Border Patrol agents in some areas reportedly demanded documentation of everyone stopped, including citizens. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told Fox News that ICE arrested over 308 “serious criminals” in the first 24 hours after Trump took office.
One day later, Newsweek reports, Trump’s Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman lifted a long-standing ban, now allowing ICE to target immigrants in sensitive locations including schools, churches and hospitals.
In addition to fortifying the border to block crossings by migrants, including many seeking asylum and fleeing violence or persecution, Trump's administration has disabled the app which formerly allowed asylum-seekers to apply online without crossing the border, effectively blocking all asylum efforts, NPR reports.
That violates international law. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, "Seeking asylum is a human right and every person in the world has the right to apply for asylum if they are fleeing conflict or persecution. They must not be expelled or returned to situations where their lives or freedoms would be in danger. This is the principle of non-refoulement which is enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention."
The Justice Dept. under Trump has also ordered prosecutors to “investigate any government officials at the state of local effort who refuse to enforce Trump’s immigration policies,” according to Newsweek, putting local officials in the hot seat, since state law prohibits cooperating with federal immigration officials except for turning over criminals convicted of a specified list of serious crimes.
In recent days, immigration sweeps have been occurring across the nation, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and other major cities. Details from Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been sketchy, with names released only for a few serious criminals.
But reports across the country suggest innocent people including citizens and even Native Americans are being stopped and harassed by ICE. Newark, New Jersey’s Mayor Ras Baraka issued this statement on Jan. 23: “Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a local establishment in the City of Newark, detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant. One of the detainees is a U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned. This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures. Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized. I will be holding a press conference in alliance with partners ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights.”
The Arizona Mirror reports that Native Americans have been unlawfully stopped and detained by ICE.
““We now know that Navajo people and enrolled members of other tribes are being detained in Phoenix and other cities by ICE,” Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley said during a committee meeting on Thursday. “The reports that we have received indicate that we need to coordinate an operation or some type of response to help our enrolled tribal members here on the Navajo Nation.”
Navajo tribal leaders reported that they received calls and text messages from Navajo people living in urban areas who have been stopped, questioned or detained by ICE. Those reports sparked outrage among Navajo Nation Council members and prompted a detailed discussion of the topic during a Naabik’íyáti’ Committee meeting.
“These raids have sparked significant fear, especially among tribal members in urban areas who face challenges with documentation,” the Navajo Nation Council said in a press release.
California has 2.4 million undocumented immigrants, the most of any state, the Los Angeles Times reports. Many farmworkers are staying home, terrified of being detained or deported after recent raids, New Republic reports. ““We’re in the middle of our citrus harvesting,” Casey Creamer, president of the industry group California Citrus Mutual, told CalMatters. “This sent shockwaves through the entire community. People aren’t going to work and kids aren’t going to school. Yesterday about 25 percent of the workforce, today 75 percent didn’t show up.”
San Diego County has an estimated 170,000 undocumented immigrants. In an interview with CBS 8, Pedro Rios with the American Friends Service Committee warned of potential economic impacts if large-scale removals were to occur. "It would mean that suddenly we wouldn't have people in the service industry” he said, also voicing concerns over separation of children from parents. “We wouldn't have people in the agricultural industry. We wouldn't have people that are professionals that touch every aspect of our life,” Rios said.
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