Surrounded and supported by several community groups and leaders, San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre  today announced a landmark proposal to ban federal immigration enforcement agencies, including ICE, from using County facilities for firearms training. 

The San Diego Board of Supervisors will vote on the proposal at its Tuesday, August 18 meeting.  

“Our public facilities should serve our residents, not support federal immigration operations that disregard due process and the rule of law. President Trump has chosen to pour billions into a massive deportation force while cutting healthcare and other services families depend on,” said Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. “If the Trump Administration wants to spend billions on this flawed deportation agenda, they can use their own federal resources to carry it out. Our community is a home, not a target.”

Allowing ICE to use County facilities conflicts with the values behind the County’s CLEAR Ordinance, Know Your Rights programs, and civil liberties protections. It also undermines local jurisdiction and erodes the trust our communities place in their local government. Board Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre said we cannot continue building on that trust while providing County resources for federal immigration enforcement operations that cause harm to those very same communities we serve.  

"The federal government cannot terrorize our families all week and rent our firing ranges on the weekend—not in this county, not anymore. Our core job is to keep people safe, yet families across San Diego are living in fear just going to school or the grocery store. Ending these agreements stops our taxpayer property from being used to enable that harm," said Board Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre.  

The San Diego Regional Firearms Training Center is a County-owned facility at 440 Alta Road in Otay Mesa, constructed in 1996 through a partnership between the County and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and operated jointly by the Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office, and the FBI.

In July 2021, a 10-year license agreement was executed authorizing ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to use the facility for firearms training. Because the agreement fell below the dollar threshold requiring Board approval and pursuant to San Diego County Administrative Code Section 73.2(b)(2), it was executed administratively. The Board did not consider it, and it received no public deliberation. Since 2024, ICE and CBP have collectively logged approximately 3,350 hours at the facility.

A San Diego community member directly affected by the ICE deportation raids spoke at the news conference outside the county building. 

“We are not criminals - we are families living in constant fear of simple everyday tasks like going to work, church, or school. Having lived through family separation twice and lost loved ones to gun violence, allowing ICE agents to train with firearms in San Diego will only lead to excessive force and more lost lives. I am deeply thankful to the county for standing with us against this abuse of power,” said Maritza, a Barrio Logan community member who asked that her last name be withheld t. 

Brinkley Johnson, founding manager and navigator of the Pope Francis Center at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, spoke on behalf of the faith community.

"People of all ages who are hard workers, who are kind and patient, who are churchgoing and generous, live with the terror that this administration has inflicted on people who are not U.S. Citizens. The fear is not just of deportation; but that an encounter with this system could result in extreme bodily harm or death," said Brinkley Johnson.

"As local leaders and policymakers, we have a responsibility to make sure taxpayer-funded facilities and public assets are not contributing to an immigration enforcement system that is inflicting fear and cruelty on our communities. I commend the County for taking action. We may not control federal immigration policy, but we absolutely have a say in how our local public resources are used,” said Consuelo Martinez, Escondido City Councilmember.

BACKGROUND:

• According to recent data provided in response to a letter from Congressman Mike Levin, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents removed more than 16,000 people from San D
• Rising enforcement operations, and the fear that comes with them, have eroded trust in all levels of government. Since the start of the second Trump Administration, there have been at least 41 shooting incidents involving federal immigration agents, resulting in 11 fatalities. Separately, at least 43 people have died in ICE custody.iego County between January 2025 and April 2026, while refusing to disclose how many had criminal records, a level of secrecy that leaves families with no way to know whether due process was followed at all.