EL CAJON, Calif. — The El Cajon City Council postponed a vote on a controversial resolution that would declare the city’s intent to assist federal immigration authorities “to the maximum legal extent permissible.”
The decision came after a heated community response during a council meeting, where residents voiced strong opposition to the proposal.
Mayor Bill Wells, who proposed the resolution, stated that the intent was not to make immigration policy but instead to seek clarification on the city’s legal responsibilities in light of conflicting state and federal laws.
“We have the federal government saying we could be prosecuted if we don’t cooperate with them, we’ve got the state government saying our police officers could be prosecuted if they do cooperate with the federal government,” Wells said.
California’s Senate Bill 54 prohibits local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration efforts, which conflicts with federal policy. This has created confusion for local authorities regarding their obligations.
Critics of the resolution, including human rights advocate Pedro Rios of the American Friends Service Committee, called it a form of “fear-mongering.”
“It is driven by an anti-immigrant fervor that is concerning for residents in El Cajon who might fear that suddenly the police will be after them, asking them for papers,” Rios told CBS 8.
Community members expressed concerns about the potential impact on families and the overall atmosphere in the city.
“It will destroy the life of so many families who only want to work in peace,” said one El Cajon resident, speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, while another worried about raising children in what could feel like “a police state against brown people.”
In response to these concerns, the council decided to return the resolution to city staff for revision. The new version is expected to emphasize public safety for all residents rather than focusing on federal immigration policy enforcement.
Councilmember Steve Goble highlighted the council’s priorities, saying, “It is my responsibility, our responsibility, to remove those posing a threat to public safety from our community. That is our local jurisdiction.”
The council will vote on the revised resolution at a future meeting.
