The San Diego City Council voted Tuesday to join an amicus brief opposing the Trump administration’s lawsuit against so-called sanctuary city laws.
The lawsuit was filed against California earlier this year and was supported by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors who voted last month to join the lawsuit against the California Values Act (SB 54).
SB 54, which took effect at the beginning of this year, sets limits on how much local police can help federal immigration authorities and seeks to protect immigrants from deportation.
“We thank the council members for their leadership in protecting our immigrant communities. Their vote today is a vote for the values all Californian’s share: Public trust, fairness, compassion and inclusion,” Norma Chavez-Peterson, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties said in a statement.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer was against the council’s decision, however. “San Diego is not a sanctuary city and I oppose the vote to join an amicus brief in the lawsuit over California’s sanctuary state laws. San Diego is one of the safest big cities in the country, with public safety policies that have worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations. We have no plans to change them,” he said in a tweet after the Tuesday evening decision.
In closed session, the council voted 5-2 in favor of joining the amicus brief.
