{"id":55264,"date":"2025-07-10T22:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T22:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/55264\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T22:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T22:44:08","slug":"why-san-diego-police-are-sometimes-on-scene-during-ice-raids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/55264\/","title":{"rendered":"Why San Diego Police Are Sometimes on Scene During ICE Raids"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story is part of a series from Public Matters, a reporting project in collaboration with KPBS and inewsource.\u00a0Read more stories here.<\/a><\/p>\n

San Diego police have been on the scene at multiple immigration enforcement operations in San Diego, raising questions about what role officers play in these federal raids.<\/p>\n

Police were called to assist with crowds after the\u00a0raid on Buona Forchetta<\/a>\u00a0in South Park in May. And earlier this month in Linda Vista,\u00a0SDPD officers were on the scene<\/a>\u00a0while an apartment complex was raided by federal agents.<\/p>\n

@officialarturo<\/a>\u00a0on TikTok recorded a video of the raid and asked a San Diego police officer about the department\u2019s role in the operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we\u2019re here for is scene security,\u201d the officer says in the video. \u201cWe have not made any immigration arrests, California law does not allow us to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer says California law does allow them to assist when officer safety issues arise, and to make sure the public doesn\u2019t interfere with an investigation.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s referencing\u00a0SB 54, passed in 2017<\/a>. It prevents local law enforcement from \u201cusing money or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Diego Police Lieutenant Travis Easter said the department does not assist with immigration enforcement. But, he said, officers are allowed to help if other law enforcement agencies request assistance, including ICE and DHS.<\/p>\n

And he said federal immigration authorities may tell the police department in advance of a raid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf ICE, DHS, they\u2019re doing something in our area, maybe we\u2019ll get a common courtesy,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, even then, if we get that, that doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re getting involved. And it doesn\u2019t mean that we are going to assist, or going to take part in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easter said that in both cases, the department received a call for emergency assistance, and officers were dispatched to respond. In Linda Vista, the call came at noon, and the video was posted at 12:52 p.m..<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what you saw at that scene, if you\u2019ve seen the video, is really maintaining the peace,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I know to say \u2018maintain the peace\u2019 sounds contradictory to what happened there. But really, it\u2019s being that line in between to maintain public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easter said there are no requirements for what qualifies as an emergency.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a person or officer feels they need emergency assistance, our focus is on getting there as quickly and safely as possible to provide the assistance,\u201d he said. \u201dEveryone has a different barometer for what constitutes an emergency. It is not for us to verify or clarify what constitutes an emergency when someone needs us there as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Diego City Council member Sean Elo-Rivera said police can be following state law and still damage their relationship with the community by being present during raids. Especially immigrant communities that are made less safe when they can\u2019t trust local law enforcement, he said.<\/p>\n

Erin Tsurumoto Grassi with the advocacy organization\u00a0Alliance SD<\/a>\u00a0agrees the public\u2019s trust is degraded when they see police officers at the scene of immigration enforcement operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe perception to the community is that folks are kidnapping community members,\u201d Grassi said. \u201cThey\u2019re seeing them commit human rights violations.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, Grassi said, federal agents used flashbang grenades after the South Park raid, and used excessive force in Linda Vista as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then we\u2019re witnessing our San Diego Police Department basically be complicit, because they\u2019re doing nothing,\u201d Grassi said. \u201cThey\u2019re standing by and they\u2019re doing nothing. So the perception really comes down to, it looks like they are providing security for kidnappers.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Elo-Rivera wants the police department to establish clear parameters for when and how to respond during federal raids.<\/p>\n

Elo-Rivera also said that SDPD should request identification from any federal agents attempting to detain someone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely \u2026 have a responsibility as a city to ensure that it\u2019s not just random people who are detaining San Diegans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also asked the San Diego police chief to help families and friends locate people who are \u201cdetained or disappeared\u201d by federal agents.<\/p>\n

Elo-Rivera also plans to introduce an ordinance that will do the following:<\/p>\n