San Diego City Council to Vote on Resolution Opposing 'Excessive' ICE Tactics

The resolution would allow the city to join lawsuits against the Trump administration's immigration operations.

Feb. 1, 2026 at 5:47pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The San Diego City Council will vote on a resolution during their meeting on Monday to oppose what some councilmembers described as "unnecessarily aggressive and excessive tactics" by federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If approved, the resolution would allow the City Attorney to join lawsuits filed against the Trump administration by Minnesota and Illinois on the city's behalf.

Why it matters

The resolution is an important step for San Diego to officially voice opposition to the Trump administration's increased immigration enforcement efforts, which have seen a nearly 1,500% rise in arrests from 2024 to 2025 according to government data. The city is seeking to join legal challenges to these tactics, which critics say unfairly target immigrants based on appearance and language.

The details

City councilmember Marni Von Wilpert is spearheading the resolution alongside Councilmembers Sean-Elo Rivera and Vivian Moreno. While the resolution wouldn't make any grand changes, it would put San Diego on record opposing ICE's tactics during recent immigration operations. An analysis found a sevenfold increase in arrests of people with no prior convictions during the first nine months of the Trump administration, with federal agents increasingly using "snatch and grab" tactics that don't require warrants.

  • The San Diego City Council will vote on the resolution during their meeting on Monday, February 3, 2026.
  • In January 2026, researchers from the University of California Berkeley published an analysis finding a sevenfold increase in arrests of people with no prior convictions during the first nine months of the Trump administration.

The players

Marni Von Wilpert

A San Diego city councilmember who is spearheading the resolution to oppose ICE's tactics. She is also running for California's 48th district in the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms.

Sean-Elo Rivera

A San Diego city councilmember who is co-sponsoring the resolution to oppose ICE's tactics.

Vivian Moreno

A San Diego city councilmember who is co-sponsoring the resolution to oppose ICE's tactics.

Pedro Rios

The director of the American Friends Service Committee, who says the resolution would put San Diego on the map of opposing ICE's "violent immigration arrests" in the city.

Trump administration

The federal administration that has overseen a significant increase in immigration enforcement and arrests, which the San Diego resolution aims to challenge.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It puts San Diego on the map of being in opposition to these violent immigration arrests that we've been seeing around the country and in San Diego. It's an important step forward because it ensures that their residents, their constituents, are hearing how the city council is supporting them.”

— Pedro Rios, Director, American Friends Service Committee (nbcsandiego.com)

“The government is leaning more toward the snatch and grab operations because they're able to detain people without needing a warrant. It's based simply on someone's skin color, appearance, if they speak Spanish or another language that's not English, and that's how they get apprehended.”

— Pedro Rios, Director, American Friends Service Committee (nbcsandiego.com)

What’s next

If the resolution is approved, the San Diego City Attorney will be authorized to join the lawsuits filed against the Trump administration by Minnesota and Illinois on the city's behalf.

The takeaway

This resolution represents San Diego taking a stand against the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive and discriminatory immigration enforcement tactics, which have seen a dramatic rise in arrests of individuals with no criminal history. By joining the legal challenges to these tactics, the city is asserting its values of protecting immigrant communities and opposing federal overreach.