SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Tens of thousands of people filled the streets in downtown San Diego and other communities in the county on Saturday for the “No Kings” protests.
"Just the size of the crowd, I think, was not expected,” San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez said. "I had a very unique perspective and view of the crowd, and it kept growing and growing, which was uh amazing to see that kind of an outpouring."
Following Saturday's protests, ABC 10News sat down with Martinez to get her take on how things went from a law enforcement perspective.
"The relief was palpable for all of us in the law enforcement community,” Martinez said.
Martinez told ABC 10News that a lot of work between law enforcement and the community went into ensuring that things stayed peaceful.
"I know San Diego Police Department did a lot of preparation with the organizers and the route … making sure that we had enough people in place that,” Martinez said. “The County Administration Center is my responsibility, so my deputies were very well prepared, and then all of the outlying cities that had protests, so it was a great response for our community.”
Following the protests, President Trump doubled down on his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, ordering ICE agents to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
Following the protests, President Trump doubled down on his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, ordering ICE agents to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
Trump said in a social media post that this will be the "single largest mass deportation program in history."
ABC 10News asked the sheriff her take on the president's words.
Martinez said she didn't see the post.
"I don't really have any response to what the president is saying or what he's putting out, just that we'll do everything we can to keep our community safe,” Martinez said.
ABC 10News also asked Sheriff Martinez about the president's push for immigration enforcement in Democratic-run cities. Here's what she wants people to know:
"If you are a victim of a crime or witness to a crime, you should have no fear going to local law enforcement. If you dial 911, that's always going be local law enforcement that won't be federal law enforcement, that are answering that phone call or responding to your residence. So, I just really want our community members to know that they are safe. We're here to protect everyone in our communities, and local law enforcement won't enforce immigration."
