1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand an immediate investigation and public explanation regarding the San Diego Police Department’s apparent cooperation with a recent immigration enforcement operation conducted by ICE and Homeland Security in South Park. Video footage shows SDPD officers dispersing crowds after ICE and DHS deployed flashbangs during a raid on a restaurant. The federal agents also staged at SDPD headquarters. These actions appear to violate the California Values Act (SB 54), which prohibits the use of local police resources to enforce federal immigration law except under narrow, well-defined circumstances. Under SB 54, California law enforcement agencies may not: • Assist in arrests based on civil immigration warrants. • Use personnel or facilities to support federal immigration enforcement. • Detain individuals on immigration holds. • Transfer individuals to ICE custody unless they meet specific criminal criteria, which must be confirmed by the agency itself. • Participate in immigration enforcement under the supervision of federal agencies. • Provide exclusive office space to immigration agents. None of the publicly known facts about this operation justify SDPD’s involvement under these legal exceptions. The individuals targeted were restaurant workers, not individuals convicted of violent or serious felonies. There has been no disclosure of judicial warrants or qualifying criminal convictions. SDPD’s role in supporting and facilitating this raid appears to be in direct conflict with SB 54. This was not law enforcement focused on community safety. It was the use of local police to support a federal deportation agenda, in a way that undermines community trust and violates state law. I urge your office to: • Investigate and publicly disclose the extent of SDPD’s cooperation with ICE and DHS. • Confirm whether any individual targeted in the raid met the legal exceptions required for local cooperation. • Reaffirm SDPD’s obligation to comply with SB 54 and cease participation in immigration enforcement. • Hold any individuals or departments accountable for violations of state law and city policy. San Diego must not use local police to enable federal immigration raids. Our community’s safety depends on trust, not fear. The law is clear. The public deserves answers.