El Cajon

Photo:  Councilman Steve Goble is the likely swing vote when the El Cajon City Council reconsiders an amended version of a controversial immigration measure on Feb. 11.

By Miriam Raftery

February 10, 2025 (El Cajon) -  A controversial measure to allow El Cajon Police officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities is back on tomorrow’s agenda. The newly revised version includes changes from an earlier version that was voted down 3-2  after a five-hour hearing with emotional testimony on both sides. View revised draft.

The immigration matter is scheduled at the end of a 3 p.m. meeting tomorrow. However, there is an earlier 2 p.m. special meeting on unrelated issues. Activists on both sides have been advising the public to arrive early, since seats may fill up for the first meeting with people planning to stay for both meetings.

The original measure was introduced by Mayor Bill Wells and Councilman Phil Ortiz, who voted in favor. Councilmembers Gary Kendrick, Michelle Metschel and Steve Goble voted no, after several attempts at compromise measures failed. The newest reversion includes amended language proposed by Councilmember Goble.

A state law, SB 54, prohibits local police from turning over individuals to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless they have been convicted of certain serious felonies, such as murder or rape.  California’s law was upheld on appeal and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, allowing the law to stand.  Yet the Trump administration has threatened to prosecute local officials if they don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities, putting local cities in a difficult situation.

"Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands or requests," a Justice Dept. memo states, raising the possibility of charges for harboring immigrants without legal status or for failing to share information with immigration authorities, NPR reports.

The Justice Dept. is setting up a Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group to identify state and local policies or laws that are "inconsistent" with the Trump administration's enforcement efforts, and "where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws."  Whether courts would continue to uphold California’s SB 54, or whether a conservative-leaning Supreme Court might overturn it, is unknown.

El Cajon’s latest revision to its proposed measure now states the city’s intent to “comply with federal immigration law to the legal extent permissible for the sole purpose of removing violent criminals from our community.”. 

But the city’s language leaves room to cooperate on deportation of people merely accused, but not convicted, of crimes.  It notes that  the Trump administration says there are “over 647,000 non-detained individuals living in the United States illegally who have pending charges or have been convicted of or charged with violent crimes, including robbery, assault, sexual assault, homicide, and and human trafficking.”  

That raises serious concerns about the prospect for innocent people to be deported without a trial.  There are many examples of individuals falsely accused of crimes and later proven innocent, such as when DNA tests prove another person committed the crime, or bystander videos emerge to disprove charges.  A prime example occurred in La Mesa in 2020, when a police officer accused a young man at a trolley stop of assaulting the officer. A bystander’s video proved that the assault did not occur; the officer was fired for filing a false report, but his actions triggered a riot and accusations of racial profiling.

ECM spoke with Councilman Steve Goble, the likely swing vote on El Cajon’s immigration issue. He proposed another amendment included in the revised draft. 

“If you want police officers to work for ICE under SB 54 which is not allowed, and then the feds and the state are at such odds with each other, I want indemnification for our officers, in case anybody comes after their credentials because they are licensed by the state,” Goble told ECM.

His amendment states ,”The City will seek assistance from the United States Attorney General’s office to indemnify the City and its employees for any assistance or
cooperation with federal immigration authorities as permitted by law.”  The city also faces potential enforcement actions from the state, however, since Attorney General Rob Bonta has indicated he will hold cities accountable if they violate SB 54.

The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that any powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people. Goble notes.  California’s SB 54 does not stop the federal authorities from doing their work, he points out, adding that the state doesn’t want to assist in those efforts. (SB 54 does allow cities to turn over undocumented immigrants to ICE if they have been convicted of serious felonies.)

Mayor Wells, who has announced his intent to seek reelection in 2026 and also run for supervisor in 2028, has said his goal is to protect public safety.  On X,  he recently posted, “I’m bringing back a resolution to support our law enforcement officers working with ICE to remove illegal immigrant criminals from our communities. We all want safer neighborhoods, and I will continue fighting to protect our families from those who break our laws and threaten our safety. Law enforcement must have every tool available to uphold the law and keep criminals off our streets.”

Goble states, “What Bill is saying aspirationally is if we know there is a convicted criminal living in El Cajon illegally, we want the option of contacting ICE.” That might include, for example, a parolee who served time for a serious felony but was not handed over to ICE elsewhere. 

However, Goble indicated he has concerns about deporting people who have merely been accused, but not convicted of serious crimes, suggesting he might be open to an amendment limiting ECPD cooperation only to undocumented immigrations who have been convicted in court.

Goble spoke of a San Diego Police officer’s search for an accused serial rapist, who turned out to be in a Border Patrol vehicle, so Border Patrol handed him over to the police instead of deporting him immediately. In Goble’s view, that was the right decision.

“The reason is that it’s better to go through the justice system and be deported as convicted criminal,” Goble explained, noting that if merely deported without a criminal conviction, the suspect could potentially reenter the U.S. again and again.

There is also the potential for the Trump administration to order deportation of any undocumented immigrant, even those living in the U.S. for decades without committing crimes here, since some Trump administration officials including White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt have said they consider everyone who crossed the border illegally to be criminals. Trump, on the campaign trail, frequently spoke of wanting to deport all undocumented immigrants, an estimated 11 million people.Trump has also revoked special protection status for some legal immigrants, including Afghan translators who helped our military.

If a future court were to overturn SB 54, does El Cajon wants its police officers cooperating if the “crime” was merely crossing the border, or overstaying a legal protected status order  later revoked, as in the case of Afghans who helped our military?

The Mayor's immigration measure has sparked heated public debate, wtih over 80 people speaking out at the last Council meeting. Elected officials on both sides are facing serious threats, including death threats against a councilmember who voted against the resolution and a recall effort gearing up against at least one Councilmember who voted for the resolution, ECM has learned.

Latinos en Acción has announced a press conference at noon tomorrow  in front of City Council chambers at 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon, in opposition to the resolution, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. A flyer announcing the event states that California law already allows police to transfer violent criminals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and expanding local police cooperation would mostly affect non-violent offenders and could lead to racial profiling.

At an earlier hearing on this issue, Violet Lombera with Latinos en Accion testified that moving to El Cajon from Brawley, she was stopped by police in what she views as “racial profiling.  I don’t want that to happen again...Doing this is really going to separate and divide us. It’s going to attack my community,  Mexican Americans...I’ve been attacked. I’ve been segregated. I’ve been racially profiled. You guys need to reconsider this,” she said, voicing fears of people being stopped and asked for proof of citizenship. ”To do this is really going to hurt everybody in our community.”

While backers of the resolution have voiced concerns over the city being caught in the legal crosshairs between conflicting state and federal laws, El Cajon could also face lawsuits from immigrant rights’ groups over its immigrant policies.

Salvador Salmiento with the National Day Labor Network  told the Council on January 14, “Our organization has litigated a bunch of these policies over the years,” adding that he has over the years repeatedly seen ICE detainers issued without probable cause. If immigrants suffer actual damages due to actions of the City Council or its officers, he warned, ”We will sue.”

He added that in lawsuits filed by the organization elsewhere over immigration issues, , “ICE doesn’t pay. The city pays,"adding, "El Cajon can be a better example than this.”

View ECM’s prior coverage:

https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/packed-hearing-el-cajon-council-votes-3-2-against-contentious-immigration-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

Source:  AAUW

February 9, 2025 (La Mesa/El Cajon) - March 8, 2025, is the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of the American Association of University Women's monthly meeting featuring Hannah Plackowski (left), Account Executive from the San Diego Padres and Sarah Cloutier, Executive Assistant to the CEO of the New York Liberty discussing empowering women in sports.

From the Bay Area, Hannah Plackowski grew up playing competitive soccer. She closed out her soccer-playing years at Cañada Community College before transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara, to pursue a degree in Economics. During her time there, she was involved in the Sports Management Program. That experience inspired her to seek a job in sports after graduation.

 In June 2021 she began her career with the San Diego Padres. She started as a Representative in Inside Sales and, after five months, was promoted to the Membership Development team as an Account Executive. During her first year, she sold about $1,000,000 in season tickets and was part of the first-ever Padres sales team to sell out all the club’s season tickets and launch a season ticket waitlist. In recognition of her efforts, she was named the department’s Rookie of the Year.

 At the end of the 2022 season, Hannah made a lateral move to the Group Tickets & Hospitality team. During her first year, the department finished #1 in Major League Baseball, selling more group and hospitality tickets than every other team. 

Sarah Cloutier (right) is currently the Executive Assistant to the CEO for the 2024 WNBA Champions, New York Liberty. Her responsibilities include managing the schedule and communications of the CEO, processing expenses for Liberty, logistical operations, and many other jobs she can get her hands on. Sarah started this role upon graduating with her Master’s in Sports Business from NYU in May 2024. While in graduate school, Sarah interned for the Brooklyn Nets in Public Relations and was the Director of Basketball Operations for the 2024 NCAA Division III Champions, NYU Women’s Basketball. During her undergraduate career, she played NCAA Division II basketball for Daemen University, majoring in Business Administration, also specializing in Sports Management, and minoring in Human Resources. Originally from San Diego, California, Sarah aspires to continue her career working in women’s basketball and further advancing the sport to new levels.

Regular monthly La Mesa-El Cajon Branch meetings are open to the public and are held in King Hall at Foothills United Methodist Church, 4031 Avocado Blvd. in La Mesa. Check the branch website for further details. AAUW La Mesa-El Cajon (CA) Branch

La Mesa-El Cajon Branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) has been engaged in “equity for all” efforts since the 1950’s and is one of the largest branches in the state. AAUW empowers women and girls by advocating for more women in leadership positions, closing the gender pay gap and preventing sexual harassment and discrimination. We support girls entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers. We use research, education, and advocacy at the national, state, and branch levels to accomplish these goals. For more information about this organization, go to www.lamesaelcajon-ca.aauw.net. New members are always welcome and do not need to be invited to attend a meeting.

East County News Service

February 7, 2025 (Rancho San Diego) – Hillsdale Middle School on Brabham Street in Rancho San Diego was placed on lockdown for about 15 minutes due to a call reporting a man with what appeared to be a gun in front the school shortly before 3:30 p.m. yesterday. 

Deputies from the Rancho San Diego Sheriff's Station were given a description of the man as they drove to the school. Out of an abundance of caution, deputies requested the school to be placed on lockdown.

Once they arrived at Hillsdale Middle School, located in unincorporated El Cajon, deputies found a man fitting the description outside of campus and detained him for questioning.

“The man, 46, from La Mesa, was found in possession of a non-lethal handgun powered by carbon dioxide (CO2),” says Sgt. Manuel Heredia. After an investigation, it was determined the man had not committed a crime and he was released on scene. The lockdown at the school was lifted after about 15 minutes. No one was hurt.

Deputies continued to work with school staff and Campus Safety Officers from the Cajon Valley Union School District, who have had previous negative encounters with the man.

As a result of these incidents, deputies were able to obtain an emergency temporary protective order against the man, so he cannot come near the school.

As a precaution, Sheriff's Deputies will be conducting extra patrols at Hillsdale Middle School on Friday, February 7.

If you see something, say something. Report any criminal or suspicious activity by calling the San Diego County Sheriff's Office at (858) 868-3200. In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff

February 6, 2025 (El Cajon) -- Several people have been arrested due to criminal activity at a homeless encampment near Willow Glen Drive in unincorporated El Cajon on a variety of charges.

On Tuesday, February 4, around 2 p.m., a small fire broke out at the encampment. Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames. Fortunately, there were no injuries or property damage.

“Deputies with the Sheriff's Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) have conducted multiple outreach operations at this location over the past month, offering services and resources to those experiencing homelessness. Despite these efforts, deputies continued to respond to reports of criminal activity at the encampment,”  says Sergeant Aaron Montan.

On Wednesday, February 5, Sheriff's HART performed an enforcement operation at the encampment. Several individuals were arrested on various charges, including drug-related offenses, outstanding misdemeanor warrants and identity theft.

The encampment has now been cleared and clean-up efforts are underway.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office remains committed to a balanced approach of outreach and enforcement, working closely with community partners to connect individuals in need with available services while addressing criminal activity that impacts public safety, Sgt. Montan says.

To learn more about Sheriff's HART, visit: https://www.sdsheriff.gov/community/homeless-outreach.

To report suspicious or criminal activity, call the Sheriff's Office at (858) 868-3200.

East County News Service

February 5, 2025 (El Cajon) – Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, the Bishop who led the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle for the western U.S. from 2002 until his retirement in 2016, has died at the age of 83. Born in Iraq and later based at St. Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon, Bishop Jammo was a noted scholar, author and religious leader who guided the diocese through turbulent times, including wars ravaging his homeland and terrorists targeting Chaldean Christians in Iraq.

The Chaldean Diocese announced on Instagram, “The Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle mourns Bishop Sarhad Yawsip Jammo Bishop Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo passed from this earthly life and entered eternity on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, in San Diego, California. Let us join in prayer for his soul.”

Born to a Chaldean family in Baghdad on March 14, 1941, he went to Rome at age 17, where he obtained master’s degrees in theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Urbaniana University. He later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Eastern Ecclesiastical Studies at Pontifical Oriental Institute with a dissertation titled “The Structure of the Chaldean Mass.” 

He taught at the University of Notre Dame, the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, and the Catholic University of America in  Washington D.C.

He was named pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Baghdad, serving there from 1969 to1974.Later he became rector at the Chaldean Patriarchal Seminary in Mosul. In 1977, he came to the United States and served as a pastor at two churches in Michigan.

In 2002, Pope John Paul II created a second Chaldean diocese in the U.S. and appointed Jammo to preside over the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle covering the western U.S., a position he held until his retirement in 2016.

He led the diocese through challenging times. In 2010, he led a prayer vigil in El Cajon for Chaldeans including priests massacred in a Baghdad church by terrorists. El Cajon was home to some 40,000 Iraqi Chaldeans at the time.

Bishop Jammo traveled to Washington D.C. in 2014 to meet with political leaders including Congressman Juan Vargas, who introduced a bill to grant asylum for religious minorities persecuted by ISIS in Iraq and raise the cap on refugees from that region to come to the U.S.

Mark Arabo, a Chaldean activist, remembered Bishop Jammo in a Facebook post today, praising Jammo as a “revered and legendary figure in the Chaldean Catholic Church.” He added, “Bishop Sarhad was a dear friend, - I cherish the memories we had together- from actively participating in various community gatherings, baptisms, communions, confirmations, weddings, and even our numerous trips to the White House, United Nations and so much more. Together, we created cherished memories and effected significant change at the highest levels of government through our unwavering focus on the well-being of others.”

Jammo also championed reconciliation within the church and ecclesiastical renewal. After the Vatican approved a liturgical reform, the St. Peter diocese became the first to implement the reformed mass. Bishop Jammo was also an author and historian who wrote numerous books and other publications on Chaldean Catholic history, language and liturgy.

He voiced pride in his Chaldean heritage, stating in this video, “For 2,500 years, my Chaldean nation survived all massacres and genocides.  Chaldeans will survive in the future." He added, “My Chaldean heritage is a diamond and I claim it."

Bishop Jammo’s funeral mass will be held on February 8 at 10 a.m. followed by funeral prayers at 11 a.m. at St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral, 1627 Jamacha Way, El Cajon.  A viewing will be held Feb. 7 from 1 to 8 p.m. at the same location.  Bishop Jammo will be buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Robert Gehr

January 31, 2025 (El Cajon) – After voting to repeal a long-unenforced ban on dog walking downtown, the city of El Cajon has installed “doggie pots” and poop disposal bags to help dog owners cleanup after their pets.

Photos show receptacle near the waterscape outside the Magnolia performing arts center; another is located at the northeast side of Prescott Park.

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.

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.