The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to authorize a partnership with the Mexican Consulate to provide immigrants with additional know-your-rights information and, potentially, legal resources through an existing county program.

Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre brought forth the proposal, which passed by a 3-2 vote. Fellow Democrat Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe joined them in voting in favor, while Republicans Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed it.

“This partnership strengthens our commitment to ensuring families have both the information and legal support they need to defend their rights and stay together,” Lawson-Remer said in a statement after the vote. “It’s about making sure San Diego County residents are afforded a fair day in court.”

The approved plan directs county staff to negotiate two memoranda of understanding with the Mexican government.

The first agreement would allow the Mexican Consulate to distribute information about immigrant rights and other services in county facilities such as libraries, health clinics and social service offices.

“The Consulate reaffirms its commitment to act in accordance with international law and to consolidate institutional ties that contribute to the strengthening of the rule of law,” Mexican officials said in a statement after the vote. “Through its various public-access facilities and community services, the County represents a strategic partner in bringing these resources closer to the community.”

The second agreement is to negotiate with the Mexican Consulate for resources to support legal services for Mexican nationals facing removal, as part of the county’s existing Immigrant Legal Defense Program, which provides legal counsel to immigrants in detention and unaccompanied minors.

County officials said that about 24% of individuals in the program’s existing client database are Mexican nationals. Lawson-Remer said during the meeting that the plan would allow the county’s Office of Assigned Counsel to work with Mexico so that the consulate could cover some of the legal services offered to Mexican nationals.

“This would be a very cost-effective approach to expand access to justice and representation, but without adding costs to the county,” she said.

Desmond voiced his opposition to the program when explaining his vote. “Our dollars should be focused on infrastructure and core county functions, not picking up the legal tab of deportees,” he said. “That’s not our role.”

Mexican officials said the consulate is “open to negotiating any matter related to supporting Mexican immigrants” when asked about potentially providing funding to the county program.

However, Mexican officials reiterated that the agreements are still being discussed.

County officials said that the partnership would not represent additional cost to the program’s annual $5 million budget.

Instead, if finalized, officials said the partnership could help support the program, which a county report indicated may face “significant funding gaps” next fiscal year, given the increased client demand.

Launched in 2021, the program remained under budget during its first years. But the report noted a shift when detention levels at the Otay Mesa Detention Center went up.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made about 8,300 arrests within the San Diego field office in 2025, up significantly from 600 the previous year, according to ICE data provided to the Deportation Data Project in response to a public records request and analyzed by the Union-Tribune.

The data also showed that there were about 1,100 immigration arrests each month in the first two months of 2026.

“In moments like this, we can’t afford to stand alone or respond in silos,” said Aguirre. “We need strong, trusted partners willing to come together to protect our communities.”