Opposition to an Escondido Police Department contract allowing ICE agents to use the department’s outdoor training facility appears to be gaining steam with the submission of a letter Monday signed by 33 regional elected officials.
“City leaders are being called to reduce harm from masked federal agents acting without accountability,” said Oceanside Councilmember Eric Joyce, who signed the letter, in a written announcement released by the group Sowing Seeds of Dignity.
“It is my hope that Escondido’s leaders find a way to end the contract with ICE as a means to hold public trust and reduce harm across all of our communities,” Joyce said.
The one-year contract signed Jan. 14 and effective Jan. 15 is on the Escondido City Council’s agenda for a review and discussion Wednesday at what is likely to be a crowded session with numerous people speaking on the issue.
The group also is organizing a rally and news conference outside Escondido City Hall before the 5 p.m. Wednesday council meeting.
““We are sending this letter today to the Escondido City Council because the continued use of the Escondido firing range only magnifies the harmful impacts of ICE, not just in the city of Escondido, but throughout the county,” said Vista Councilmember Corrina Contreras, another signer, in the release. “We are urging the (Escondido) council to terminate the agreements for the benefit of all our constituents in the county.”
The joint letter also asks Escondido to reject any future contract with a Department of Homeland Security agency that engages in border security or immigration enforcement and for the city to join an intergovernmental preparedness plan to address the increased enforcement.
“We greatly respect your leadership and autonomy to govern on local issues impacting your city; however, this action has harmful consequences that go beyond Escondido city limits that will negatively impact many of the constituents we were elected to represent,” the letter states.
“We urge you to immediately cancel any agreements with DHS to ensure the safety and well-being of all San Diego County residents,” it states.
“Contracting with an agency that is operating without regard for the Constitution does not align with Escondido’s core values,” it says.
Others who signed the letter were: state Assemblymember David Alvarez; San Diego County Supervisors Paloma Aguirre, Monica Montgomery Steppe and Terra Lawson-Remer; San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert; Oceanside Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa; Carlsbad Councilmembers Priya Bhat-Patel and Teresa Acosta; Vista Councilmembers Katie Melendez and Dan O’Donnell; Chula Vista Councilmember Cesar Fernandez; San Juan Capistrano Councilmember Sergio Farias; San Diego County Board of Education President Gregg Robinson and members Rick Shea, Alicia Munoz and Erin Evans; San Diego Unified School District trustees Richard Barrera and Cody Crosby; Vista Unified School District trustees Cipriano Vargas and Martha Alvarado; Oceanside Unified School District trustees Mike Blessing and Nancy Licona; Encinitas Union School District trustees Marlon Taylor and Marla Strich; Carlsbad Unified School District board President Michele Tsutagawa Ward; San Marcos Unified School District board President Stacy Carlson; Fallbrook Union High School District trustee Oscar Caralampio; Fallbrook Union Elementary School District trustee Ricardo Favela; MiraCosta Community College trustees Heather Conklin and Ann Crosbie; and Tri-City Healthcare Board of Directors member Adela I. Sanchez.
Escondido has operated its 22-acre training facility outside the city on Valley Center Road for more than 60 years. It is made available to other agencies as needed about 200 days out of the year, usually for a fee to cover the cost of operations.
Cities across San Diego County have seen public demonstrations against ICE tactics in recent months.
As the Trump administration has poured money into DHS services, hired more ICE agents and expedited training, immigration enforcement has ramped up rapidly across the United States, even in states far from the international border.
In many places the enforcement has resulted in what many people see as unnecessary violence, most notably with the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in Minneapolis.
San Diego County has seen a surge in ICE arrests, though few details have been released by federal agencies.
Witnesses and local police have described incidents in which armed, masked federal agents pulled people from vehicles on busy streets and arrested them in Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido and San Diego. Teachers and social service workers have seen families afraid to send their children to school or to visit community centers for the assistance they need.
As a result, cities in San Diego County, which shares a border with Mexico, have taken steps to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Most cities will not release personal information about residents to outside agencies unless necessary to investigate specific crimes. Local police will not participate in ICE operations other than to provide traffic control or public safety.