El Cajon immigration resolution

Issue prompts drive to recall Councilman Phil Ortiz

By Alex Schorr and Miriam Raftery

View video

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 9^th 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View ECM’s prior coverage on this resolution:

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Miriam Raftery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View ECM’s prior coverage on this resolution:

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Miriam Raftery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some Councilmembers have voiced concerns over the resolution.

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

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

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

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