'Super sanctuary' immigration policy threatens lives and aids violent criminals

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that "government's first duty and highest obligation is public safety." He was right.

Less than a decade later though, progressive Democrats in Sacramento passed California’s now infamous "sanctuary state" law, throwing aside public safety for what they viewed as a more righteous and important cause; ensuring that immigrants here illegally wouldn’t face deportation when they committed crimes.

Instead of removing illegal immigrant criminals from our communities by releasing them to federal agents for deportation, law enforcement agencies throughout the state have since been forced to release them back on to our streets where they all too often re-offend, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

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In 2021, federal immigration officials tried to pick up an illegal immigrant already flagged for deportation when he was arrested for domestic violence after beating the mother of his three-year-old child. Instead, thanks to these "sanctuary" policies, he was released the next day. He went on to shoot her dead in front of their daughter.

Earlier this year, I visited our southern border and spoke with immigration officers who warned of the danger these illegal immigrant criminals pose. They voiced grave concerns about the increasing number of young men crossing the border, with fear that some may have unknown criminal histories back home. But in San Diego, even if these illegal immigrants do go on to commit crimes, our law enforcement agencies are hamstrung by these reckless "sanctuary" policies.

These rules have hurt Californians and will continue to do so. But now, in their infinite wisdom, the Democrat-majority San Diego County Board of Supervisors has decided to take things a step further.

Current law allows local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officers in extreme cases like murder and gang violence, but the board thought even that was too harsh for these criminals. Last week, they voted to make San Diego County a "super sanctuary" where under no circumstances can local law enforcement cooperate with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency without a federal judge’s order.

In their race for the title of who hates Trump the most, three Democrats on the board voted to make sure that even if illegal immigrants are arrested for murder, rape, child abuse or drug sales, they will not be deported. That means if a case falls through because a witness disappears or decides not to testify, as often occurs, illegal immigrants who have killed San Diegans will be freed to kill again in our communities even if ICE requests them for deportation.

They claim it’s a stand against Trump policies that might allow more of these criminal illegal immigrants to be deported, but in reality it is a step much, much further. It amounts to full aiding and abetting of hardened, violent criminals who are in our country illegally and committing heinous and violent crimes in our communities.

And to what end? To poke and antagonize an incoming president for progressive brownie points? To be seen as standing up to a perceived boogeyman by protecting and surrounding yourself with real-life ones right here in our communities?

This is despicable. Our job as elected officials is to protect the people we represent. The families and communities who elected us. It is to look out for their interests and safety above all else. This, is not that.

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There is some hope, however, as San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez announced she will not adhere to the new "super sanctuary," citing her position as an independently elected official whose policy is not set by the County Board. I commend her for rejecting this partisan virtue signaling and prioritizing public safety.

Meanwhile, myself and other San Diego Republican elected officials are working to find solutions to combat the board’s folly at the state level.

We must return to an era when elected leaders put serving the best interests of their constituents over engaging in political battles for headlines. To a time when politicians prioritized keeping hardworking, everyday people safe instead of protecting criminals here illegally who seek to do them harm.

I call today on the Board of Supervisors to reconsider this new "super sanctuary" policy and I call on the people of San Diego to speak up and have your voices heard. If this "super sanctuary" policy is not what you want for your community, call your supervisor and let them know. Because, as Governor Schwarzenegger put it, your safety is meant to be their first duty and highest obligation.