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CA Mayor Fears Police Officers Could Face Charges for Deporting Illegal Aliens in the Sanctuary State

Sarah Arnold
Sarah Arnold  |  November 30, 2024 12:00 PM

The Republican mayor of a small southern California city fears police officers will face Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wrath (D-CA) if they help deport illegal immigrants under the new Trump Administration. 

The mayor of El Cajon, California, Bill Wells, is voicing his concerns that local law enforcement will face legal consequences if they cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump’s massive deportation laws in the state that describes itself as a “sanctuary state.” 

Although Wells said El Cajon, a city about 40 miles from the Mexico border, is not a sanctuary city and intends to cooperate with federal law, the state’s Senate Bill 54 prohibits police officers from “assisting federal agents on immigration enforcement.” The law states that if an officer refuses to comply, they risk being charged with a felony, losing their job, or losing their pension. 

Still, Wells insisted he would do anything to help the Trump Administration deport the illegal immigrants and ease the ongoing issue caused by the outgoing Biden-Harris Administration. 

“It basically said that municipalities can’t work with the federal government in helping with any kind of immigration enforcement,” Wells said. “The Trump administration coming in, specifically Tom Homan, is saying we must comply, and that in his opinion — which I happen to agree with — federal law supersedes state law.”

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“No officer should have to choose between doing their duty and jeopardizing their future,” he continued.

Trump nominated Homan as his border czar to oversee immigration policy during his second administration. He has been seen as a strong opponent of the Biden -Harris Administration’s reckless border policies, warning Democratic governors there would be grave consequences if they didn’t comply with Trump’s deportation policies. 

“If you don’t want to work with us, then get the hell out all the way; we’re going to do it,” he said. “because there will be consequences.” 

Wells hopes to meet with Homan to ask the federal government to give him resources to protect himself and law enforcement for complying. 

The law, passed in 2017, also bans police officers from asking a person’s immigration status, detaining someone based on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) request, and arresting a person based on a civil immigration warrant. 

The U.S. Department of Justice took legal action against then-Gov when the law was enacted. Jerry Brown (D-CA) and former Attorney General Xavier Becerra. At the time, the DOJ claimed that “criminal aliens are subject to removal from the United States under federal immigration law, and SB 54 interferes with federal immigration authorities’ ability to carry out their responsibilities under federal law.” 

However, in 2020, the state’s Supreme Court refused to grant review of the lawsuit, ruling in favor of the California law. 

I recently reported that several Democratic governors have vowed to deviate from the incoming administration’s immigration laws, fighting to oppose Homan’s orders. 

Democrat Govs. JB Pritzker (D-ill.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) insisted that undocumented aliens have a “right” to live illegally in the U.S. and mooch off what it has to offer. Polis claimed that deporting illegal aliens would cause the economy to collapse, while Pritzker said he would not condone Trump’s laws. 

Meanwhile, Gov. Maura Healey (D-Mass.) said she would use “every tool in the toolbox” to oppose the president-elect’s immigration laws. 

There have been more than 8.5 million illegal immigrant encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden-Harris Administration’s four years in office. He promised to begin constructing the border wall within days of taking office and revive the Remain in Mexico program, which the outgoing leaders had halted. 

He also threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico if it did not take action to stop illegal aliens from entering the U.S. through its border. In response, newly-elected Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has agreed to collaborate with Trump on security issues.