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President-elect Donald Trump has promised to close the Mexican border and begin mass deportations of immigrants. Military searches of businesses and agricultural enterprises to root out non-citizens have been mentioned. He has also discussed ending the birthright citizenship for newborns of immigrants as part of his draconian plan.

It’s fair to assume there will be detention centers as during his first administration where young children were held, separated from family members.

Whether reconnections for all detainees with their children were made remains a mystery to this day. That along with the plight of the deportees sent back to homelands they fought to escape, is an issue no one talks about.

President-elect Trump stated he would also seek to repeal birthright citizenship by executive order and remove immediate family members of the deported even though some may be U.S. citizens to keep families together. This is a direct attack on the DACA policy and status of Dreamers as the children born or brought to the US at an early age and know only America as their homeland. Many are now adults, holding solid professional positions.

There are repercussions to a number of these plans. Some are called downright cruel while others may not hold up in court. For example, what does it mean to repeal citizenship by birth? Birth on United States soil is how all Americans have become citizens. Every American comes from immigrant ancestors except the American Indians.

Where will Trump draw the line? And how will the legal from the illegal person be identified – by color, by race, by country of ancestry? Will there be new identification cards beyond birth certificates to separate those he wishes to deport and those of us allowed to stay?

In response, California and San Diego County elected officials have sought protective policies and made plans to protect immigrants from Trump’s threats.

California Is a Sanctuary State

California is a sanctuary state. Former Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 54 by then-Senate President Pro-Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) in 2017, turning California into a sanctuary state. SB 54, also called the California Values Act, prohibits local police departments and sheriffs’ deputies from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and enforcing federal immigration laws under certain conditions.

Immediately after the November election, Governor Gavin Newsom said he would “Trump-proof” the state against President-elect Donald Trump’s anticipated policies. Governor Newsom called a special session of the Legislature to budget $25 million for the state to litigate and “defend” California’s policies, regulations, and laws against the Trump administration.

“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack – and we won’t sit idle,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. “We are prepared to fight in the courts.”

San Diego County Supervisors Take a Stand

On December 10, 2024, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution aimed to completely restrict county agencies from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. The vote comes weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged mass deportations and government funding cuts to cities with such “sanctuary” policies, is set to start a second term.

Chair Nora Vargas introduced the plan, which passed with a 3 – 1 vote at what was the last regular board meeting of the year. Under the policy, county agencies would provide no further assistance or cooperation to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on civil immigration matters, including notifications of when unauthorized immigrants convicted of certain felony crimes are set to be released from jail custody.

“We will not allow our local resources to be used for actions that separate families, harm community trust or divert critical local resources away from addressing our most pressing challenges,” Vargas said in a statement after the vote. “Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and our county will not be a tool for policies that hurt our residents.”

Vargas, Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe voted yes, while Supervisor Jim Desmond was the lone no vote. Officials said Supervisor Joel Anderson was absent due to illness. In a statement, Supervisor Desmond said the decision “to turn San Diego County into a ‘super’ sanctuary county is an affront to every law-abiding citizen who values safety and justice.

“The Board of Supervisors’ 3 – 1 vote to embrace this radical policy is both reckless and dangerous and is a direct betrayal of the people we are sworn to protect,” he added.

Supervisor Desmond also stated he has notified and is working with Washington and the Trump administration to reverse the policy. He added, “This decision places the interests of illegal immigrant criminals above the safety of American citizens. It sends a chilling message to law-abiding residents: your safety matters less than political posturing. The real victims of this decision are the mothers, fathers, children, and families who may be harmed by the individuals this policy protects. This decision doesn’t just ignore public safety – it actively undermines it.”

Vargas and other supervisors voting in favor said it was important to go beyond the 2017 California Values Act, which restricted state and local cooperation on immigration matters. The law was intended to build a relationship of trust with immigrant communities so that they would feel safe reporting crimes to the authorities.

“While the California Values Act significantly expanded protection from deportation to California residents, it fell short of protecting all residents because it allowed agencies to still notify ICE of release dates and transfers individuals to ICE without a warrant in some circumstances,” Vargas said in the board letter.

“This loophole has allowed the transfer of some individuals to ICE and notifications to ICE of release dates, leading to the deportation of our community members and the separation of families in our region.” However, it does not extend to criminal investigations, particularly when it comes to multi agency task forces that the county participates in.

“The whole policy is pretty limited,” Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said. “It does not limit or prohibit giving assistance to local, state or federal law enforcement agencies when there’s a suspected violation of criminal law.”

She insisted the county will continue to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies regarding criminal prosecutions. “If the federal government wants help from the county, they need an arrest warrant. It seems low bar, super reasonable,” she said.

The resolution drew swift pushback from Sheriff Kelly Martinez, who said the Sheriff’s Office already follows state law that limits how local and state law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Martinez disputed that characterization, stating that “there is no loophole when it comes to what is placed in statute.”

“The Sheriff’s Office will not change its practices based on the board resolution and policy that was passed at today’s meeting,” the agency said in a statement. “The Board of Supervisors does not set policy for the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff, as an independently elected official, sets the policy for the Sheriff’s Office. California law prohibits the Board of Supervisors from interfering with the independent, constitutionally, and statutorily designated investigative functions of the Sheriff and is clear that the Sheriff has the sole and exclusive authority to operate the county jails.”

Martinez said that she will “continue to follow state law,” authorities can still cooperate with ICE under state law if the person has been convicted of certain felonies or there is a warrant or probable cause determination by a judge that there is a federal criminal immigration violation.

The current policy the Sheriff’s Office adopted in 2022 states that federal immigration agents “may be allowed access to Sheriff’s booking facilities for the purpose of conducting screenings and interviews of those suspected of violating federal immigration laws.” However, per state law, immigration agents need the person’s written consent to conduct interviews.

“I believe it is crucial for every member of our region to live with dignity, security and the opportunity to thrive,” Martinez said.

According to the Times of San Diego, Vargas’ board letter directs the chief administrative officer to “report back within 180 days on the data related to any transfers or notifications during the past year to federal immigration authorities and provide recommendations” on how to implement it effectively.

The board letter states that “immigrant communities form an integral part of our county’s social fabric. When federal immigration authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Border Patrol, coerce local law enforcement to conduct deportations, family members are separated, and community trust in law enforcement and local government is destroyed.”

In 2023, 25 inmates were transferred from San Diego County jails to ICE custody, according to a sheriff’s report. The inmates had been jailed locally on felony convictions that included murder, assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, drug possession, burglary, and participation in a street gang.

Vargas pointed out in the board letter that by limiting collaboration with federal immigration authorities, “the county avoids treating a group of individuals differently solely on the basis of their immigration status.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, slammed the plan. “I hope common sense prevails and this agenda item is swept aside like the lawless, dangerous and out-of-touch idea it is,” he said in a statement.

ADVOCATES ARE ORGANIZING

Immigrants, their employers, and groups that collaborate with them are already acting ahead of President-elect Trump’s second term. Advocates fear deportation plans will soon reach deeper into American communities, targeting people who they say have a right to live here.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, through its organization in the United States, is securing money and lawyers to fight what it is already calling potential “vicious, malevolent, cruel and ruthless” immigration policies.

“Make no mistake: Mass deportations will harm the millions targeted by President-elect Donald Trump, the families and communities they are part of – and every person in our country. They will rip parents from their children, destroy businesses and livelihoods, and devastate the fabric of our nation and our economy,” said Juan Proaño, CEO of LULAC.

A lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union says its planning for legal challenges is already well advanced.

“We have been preparing for a second Trump term for nearly a year, with a focus on the most draconian possible policies, including the threat to use the military for deportation, which is flatly illegal,” said Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney who argued many of the most high-profile cases during Trump’s first term.

The National Immigrant Justice Center said its lawyers were ready, too.

“We will continue our work of providing critical legal representation to immigrants and refugees, fighting to keep families together, defending access to asylum, and advocating for the end of arbitrary detention and unjust deportation,” Mary Meg McCarthy, the center’s executive director, said in a statement.

Economic Impacts

In California, where farmers are reliant on migrant labor, there is a renewed call for immigration reform to allow people into the US for temporary agricultural work. There are also calls for legal status for the current workforce.

“We must focus on easing the chronic employee shortages on California farms and ranches and reducing the barriers to employment,” California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass.

In a recent visit to the planned Otay Mesa East border crossing, Governor Newsom took aim at President-elect Trump’s deportation plan and idea of a tariff on imports. Governor Newsom stated, “Tariff is a tax that you pay for. Not even complicated,” pointing to confusion over what a tariff would do.

“This is one of the biggest tax increases in U.S. history that this guy Donald Trump just proposed. That is a hell of a thing.”

His office noted that Mexico is California’s top export market, buying $33.3 billion of goods each year, and the state’s second-largest source of imports, worth $61.5 billion.

“The cost of food that will go up, the cost of tomatoes, the supermarket, the vegetables, over half that come in from Mexico,” Governor Newsom said.

He also brought up Trump’s unspecified promise of mass deportations, pointing to the potential impact, particularly on agriculture. Newsom said about half of farm workers in California are undocumented, the vast majority having been in the state for years.

“The impacts of mass deportation on the cost of food in this state, in this nation, are off the charts. “This is serious business,” he said. “This is a serious moment in California’s history.”