San Diego-area mayors stand together to oppose making California a sanctuary state
San Diego-area mayors stand together to oppose making California a sanctuary state
Posted: Mar 28, 2017 10:06 PM PDT Updated: Mar 29, 2017 7:37 AM PDT By Lauren Phinney CONNECT
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A group of mayors in San Diego County are weighing in on the effort to make California a sanctuary state at a joint news conference Wednesday.
Los Angeles and San Francisco are sanctuary cities. Now lawmakers in Sacramento are considering a bill that makes the entire state that way. Several lawmakers are talking about that effort and their position may not be what you expect.
"The legislature right now is posturing politically and making a stand at the expense of the safety of people," said Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon.
He has started a group called, "Mayors for Safe Cities," opposing Senate Bill 54, the bill they say would make all of California a sanctuary state.
He said as mayor, his priorities are different from the legislators up in Sacramento.
"Mayors don't have the same obligations that Legislators have. We have an obligation to keep the people living in our cities safe," Mayor Wells said.
He said cooperation with the Feds on getting rid of criminal, illegal immigrants is not what some people think.
"I think that people want to make this a racial thing and they want to make this about immigration. This is not about immigration at all. This is not an anti-immigration stance, this is an anti-crime stance," Mayor Wells said.
And Mayor Wells isn't standing alone. On Wednesday, seven mayors and a city council member from San Diego County will stand together in opposition to Senate Bill 54, including the mayors of La Mesa, Santee, Poway, Escondido and San Marcos.
This comes just a day after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he will pull U.S. Department of Justice grants from sanctuary cities.
Right now, there is no sanctuary city in San Diego County, but Senate Bill 54 would restrict all law enforcement agencies in the state, school districts and universities from cooperating with immigration and customs enforcement.
Senate Bill 54 was authored by State Senator Kevin De Leon from Los Angeles. It was co-authored by San Diego State Senator, Toni Atkins.
http://www.kusi.com/story/35019754/a...anctuary-state