Why this matters
As the Trump administration carries out its controversial massive deportation campaign, elected officials in Chula Vista — where more than 60% of residents are Hispanic or Latino and with one of the highest proportions of immigrant residents in the U.S. — continue to push back.
Chula Vista officials could soon require reports on how the city’s police department interacts with state and federal immigration enforcement agencies.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted in favor of a new ordinance that would require the city manager to report summaries every six months of how the city helps immigration enforcement — or doesn’t — and what federal or state agents are doing in the city. Mayor John McCann recused himself from voting, saying his status as a naval officer prohibits him from participating “in an item that would specifically inhibit or oppose federal law.”
Councilmembers must vote a second time before formally approving the new rules. The city manager’s first report would recap immigration enforcement activities from last year.
Police would also be required to issue public incident reports if they respond to a call related to immigration enforcement.
“We’ve seen the terror in the communities all over the country for over a year now,” Councilmember Cesar Fernandez said.
The ordinance would block federal agents from accessing city facilities for immigration enforcement without a warrant or court order; ban the sharing of anyone’s immigration status unless it’s for criminal activity not related to immigration; and prevent the city from helping agents in immigration enforcement operations or patrols unless required by law.
Their vote comes as local governments push back against the Trump administration’s massive deportation campaign. Over the past months, federal officials have erroneously deported U.S. citizens and those with legal visas, and during increased enforcement in Minnesota, killed two Americans.
San Diego County supervisors earlier this year approved an ordinance that requires federal agents to present a judge-approved warrant before entering non-public spaces in county facilities, a move officials said is meant to allow residents to access important services without fear.
Chula Vista residents told the council on Tuesday that they want more protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their city. In August, ICE arrested a parent while they were dropping off their child outside an elementary school on the city’s east side. It was among several arrests last year that happened near schools in the county.
“Our students are tired of being scared,” said Lucy Ugarte, president of the Sweetwater Education Association, which represents over 1,700 certificated employees in the Sweetwater Union High School District. She also is a Chula Vista Elementary school board member.
“Everyone deserves the privilege of being in public spaces without being stopped, harassed, criminalized, or abducted based on immigration status,” she said.
Councilmember Michael Inzunza, who identifies as Chicano, echoed this fear among his own teenage daughters.
“They’re worried. Are they speaking too loud in Spanish when they’re with their friends at the mall or the movie theater?” he said.
Inzunza said that immigration enforcement officials can only access city files through a judicial warrant. He vowed to reverse a past vote that helped authorize the city to use a license plate reader system if anyone ever leaks those files.
The ordinance would also prohibit future city contractors from disclosing personal data related to immigration status.
Last month, the City Council voted to condemn aggressive federal immigration enforcement in response to “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota. McCann, the lone Republican on the council, was on U.S. Navy Reserve deployment and was not present for the vote.
The council also approved a resolution in November echoing many details included in the new ordinance and affirming the city’s commitment to due process, public safety and what officials called “neighborly responsibility.” The move calls for the city to develop a public education campaign on how to navigate interactions with state and federal law enforcement agents, and to explore funding crisis relief, case management and legal aid services.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.