As the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at San Diego City Hall, a group of concerned citizens called for San Diego police officers to refuse to help ICE and even arrest agents if they run afoul of the law.
“We are not asking. We’re demanding that SDPD stop responding to ICE agents’ fabricated calls for cover,” social justice advocate Tasha Williamson said during the press conference.
Organizers pointed to what they call federal agents’ excessive use for force during operations like what happened during an incident in Linda Vista in July of 2025, as San Diego police officers stood watch, saying they were only there for “scene security.”
Cellphone video shows several agents and unmarked cars inside a Linda Vista apartment complex on July 2, 2025.
“This is not law enforcement. This is not public safety. This is not democracy. ICE is acting as a rogue entity in San Diego,” Jenny Wong of the San Diego Bike Brigade said with regards to some of the enforcement operations happening in the city.
Wong, and others, worry that without policy change, the immigration enforcement operations in San Diego could escalate with deadly consequences, similar to last week, when an ICE agent shot and killed a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“When someone like Renee Good is killed, the damage does not stop there. It ripples through families, communities, and generations. It tells every undocumented person, every mixed status family, and every black and brown person that their life is disposable, ” said Mariel Horner of Mutal Aid for Moms.
In response to the calls for change, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s Office issued a statement saying: “The senseless murder of Renee Good at the hands of a reckless federal agent is horrific and should never have happened. The ongoing actions of the Trump administration and ICE are intentionally creating chaos in cities across this country and making us less safe.”
The mayor also signed an executive order in July to ensure transparency around federal operations and reaffirm San Diego police do not engage in immigration enforcement, in accordance with the law.
Williams say the orders don’t have any teeth and that city leaders need to get tougher.
“It doesn’t matter it’s a federal agent committing excessive force or murder or anything else. If they see it, they can arrest them,” Williamson said.
Organizers say they want to have a meeting with the mayor and police chief before the state of the city address Thursday, so they can discuss better oversight over federal immigration enforcement, though the city has said it can’t lawfully interfere with federal operations. The police department deferred to the mayor’s office when asked for comment.