The San Diego City Council on Monday unanimously voted to move forward with an ordinance to ensure that city resources are not used to facilitate federal enforcement activities, including immigration enforcement operations.
Provisions under the Due Process and Safety Ordinance, sponsored by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, include a requirement that federal law enforcement agencies obtain a judicial warrant or court order to access any non-public area of city-controlled properties.
The policy also establishes data privacy rules for residents interacting with public systems and requires signage in multiple languages explaining the ordinance be posted in city facilities.
Elo-Rivera referred to the proposal as “a direct and necessary response to the unprecedented times that we’re facing.”
He described the ordinance as a civil liberties policy, rather than only an immigration policy, explaining that it “draws a clear legal and moral line to protect everyone who calls San Diego home.”
“Whether you’re a parent taking your child to school, a patient seeking reproductive care, a peaceful protester speaking in support or against me or any other elected official, a young person living your authentic truth, you deserve to do so without being targeted, watched or detained without cause or due process,” he said during a news conference before the vote.
The proposed measures extend to city contractors, grantees and lessees, and require all entities receiving public funding to adhere to the city’s warrant and non-cooperation standards, officials said.
“It is our responsibility to make sure the law is clear, and as a city, we must not waste our city resources, whether it be our employees, their valuable time, or our city facilities, in compromising due process,” Council President Joe LaCava said before the vote.
The Rev. Hung Nguyen prays during a City Council meeting where they voted to approve the Due Process and Safety Ordinance Monday. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Several community members and organization representatives spoke in favor of the measure.
Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, associate director at the nonprofit Alliance San Diego, emphasized the importance of protecting the community’s trust.
“When community members are afraid that our local law enforcement are collaborating with federal agents on immigration enforcement, people will not call the police department,” she said. “That means victims will not report, witnesses will not call to report either, and that impacts all of us. It doesn’t matter if it’s happening or not, just the perception is enough to damage trust.”
One of the speakers against the measure told the council that it had the obligation to “uphold the laws,” and to “protect the legal citizens of this country and this city.”
The ordinance builds on other state laws, including the California Values Act, which already prevents local law enforcement agencies from assisting federal agents with immigration enforcement.
The measure sets forth reporting requirements for city officials, including the San Diego Police Department. Though state law prohibits police from assisting in immigration enforcement actions, officers have been called in the past to ensure the safety of the public and agents.
Under the ordinance, the chief of police would be required to issue a “publicly available incident report” within three business days in such instances.
The report should include the names of the agencies present, whether a judicial warrant was presented and any available information about the law enforcement officers involved, such as their badge numbers, officials said.
Elo-Rivera said he is hoping that, by gathering this information, “that we as a community have a better sense of what the federal government is doing here.”
Benjamin Prado, a member of the Unión del Barrio organization that regularly conducts community patrols to document immigration operations, said he hopes the ordinance will set clear protocols regarding when the police respond to calls from immigration agencies.
The ordinance states that the city manager must submit a report to the City Council by the end of each fiscal year detailing the city’s participation in joint law enforcement task forces.
It also restricts the city from participating “in a joint operation, task force, or patrol that involves, in whole or in part, an immigration enforcement action.”
Several people spoke in support of the Due Process and Safety Ordinance before Monday’s vote. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Councilmember Raul Campillo said in a message in Spanish that, while the ordinance is “a good step,” it would “be unfair for me to suggest it gives me hope. I don’t want you to have false hope either.”
“There is little we can do as a city to stop the federal government’s overreach, because city law is subordinate to federal law,” he said.
Campillo urged immigrants to know their rights. “Your due process rights exist with or without this ordinance,” he said.
The ordinance will take effect 30 days after its final passage, officials said.
The county Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a similar ordinance on Tuesday. Other cities, including Oceanside, have also passed similar measures.
Originally Published: October 20, 2025 at 8:30 PM PDT