San Diego City Council Opposes 'Excessive' ICE Tactics

Resolution allows city attorney to support lawsuits against federal agencies over immigration enforcement practices.

Feb. 3, 2026 at 12:15am

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The San Diego City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing "unnecessarily aggressive and excessive tactics" by federal immigration agents, and authorized the city attorney to take legal action to support lawsuits filed by Minnesota and Illinois against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Why it matters

The resolution highlights growing tensions between local governments and federal immigration enforcement agencies, with cities seeking to limit the impact of aggressive tactics on their communities. It also reflects a broader debate over the balance of power between federal and state/local authorities on immigration issues.

The details

The resolution calls out ICE's actions in Minneapolis and across the country as undermining "shared American values of life, liberty, and due process." It argues that "conducting operations that terrorize communities based on how someone looks or sounds is both inhumane and unlawful." The council also floated the idea of seeking reimbursement from the federal government for time the San Diego Police Department spends on crowd control for ICE operations.

  • The San Diego City Council passed the resolution on Monday, February 3, 2026.
  • Last month, Minnesota and Illinois filed separate lawsuits challenging ICE enforcement practices.

The players

Heather Ferbert

San Diego City Attorney.

Marni von Wilpert

San Diego City Councilwoman and chair of the Public Safety Committee, who introduced the resolution.

Gregory Bovino

CBP Commander at Large who was demoted and sent back to his former post in El Centro, California, after the backlash from the Minneapolis shooting.

Cesar Jimenez

Latino community liaison with the San Diego Police Department, who said the SDPD does not enforce immigration law and residents should feel comfortable reporting crimes regardless of immigration status.

Raul Campillo

San Diego City Councilman who said that law enforcement and the military know what ICE is doing "is not true law enforcement" and is "treating the Constitution as a pesky inconvenience."

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What they’re saying

“ICE's actions in Minneapolis and across the country undermine our shared American values of life, liberty, and due process. Conducting operations that terrorize communities based on how someone looks or sounds is both inhumane and unlawful.”

— Marni von Wilpert, San Diego City Councilwoman

“The rule of law matters, and due process matters as they are the foundational pillars of this nation. Minnesota and Illinois leaders are showing real courage by defending those principles while they're under attack both in the streets and the courts by the federal government.”

— Marni von Wilpert, San Diego City Councilwoman

“Law enforcement and the military — people who have put their lives on the line — know what is going on with Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not true law enforcement. They are treating the Constitution as a pesky inconvenience.”

— Raul Campillo, San Diego City Councilman

What’s next

The San Diego City Attorney's Office has been given the go-ahead to take legal action in support of the Minnesota and Illinois lawsuits against federal immigration agencies.

The takeaway

This resolution highlights the growing tensions between local governments and federal immigration enforcement, as cities seek to limit the impact of aggressive tactics on their communities and defend constitutional principles of due process and equal protection under the law.