SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – 48 out of the 58 counties in California and plenty of cities throughout the state are now on a new Department of Homeland Security list. That list is what Homeland Security is considering as a sanctuary jurisdiction.
San Diego County is on that list along with the cities of Chula Vista, San Diego, Santee and Vista.
“There are 20,000 cities in America and, somehow, the people over at DHS have made an error,” Mayor John Franklin, City of Vista, said.“There is zero reason that we can countenance that the City of Vista would have been included on this list other than a simple error.”
Franklin said he’s spoken out repeatedly against what he said are sanctuary policies, including local resolutions against California’s SB 54, the law on immigration enforcement in the state, and joining the first Trump Administration’s lawsuit against California and the state law.
“The City of Vista is not now nor has it every been a sanctuary city and under my leadership it won’t be,” Franklin said. “There's actually another city in the county that bears a similar name to ours that may have, and I haven't confirmed it yet, adopted a sanctuary policy. I don't know the answer to that, but that's possibly how this happened.”
The City of Chula Vista told ABC 10News it is not a sanctuary city, but it is a member of the Welcoming America network.
It also told us, “The City of Chula Vista complies with California law (SB 54), which limits local law enforcement's involvement in immigration matters, which ensures our law enforcement personnel can prioritize crime prevention, response, and community trust.”
ABC 10News reached out to the City of San Diego and Santee for comment about being on the DHS list.
While we didn't receive a statement directly from the City of Santee, it posted on social media the following statement: "We were surprised to learn that Santee was included on a list published by the @DHSgov. This designation was unexpected & we were not informed prior to release. We’re actively reviewing the matter to understand the basis for our inclusion & will share more info as soon as we can."
We haven’t heard back from the City of San Diego at the time this article was written.
Interim San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer sent ABC 10News the following statement after we asked for comment about the county being placed on the list.
Her statement says, “San Diego County will continue protecting the right to due process for everyone in our community. What we’ve seen recently is nothing short of shocking: ICE agents lurking in courthouse hallways, attempting to detain people who are actively complying with our immigration process and judicial system—creating chaos as San Diego County lawyers are forced to physically intervene to protect their clients from unlawful arrest. These are our neighbors, community members, families, and essential workers—navigating a legal process that is their constitutional right. In the Trump era, innocence doesn’t protect you. Only due process can. And when due process is undermined, justice is denied. We cannot allow fear and intimidation to erode trust in our courts or in local government. That’s why the San Diego County Immigrant Legal Defense Program is more critical than ever—providing vital legal representation to ensure fairness is upheld, no matter your status. We remain steadfast in our commitment to defend due process and protect our residents from indiscriminate and unlawful enforcement.”
Franklin told ABC 10News he spoke with Congressman Darrell Issa Friday morning about Vista being on the DHS list.
He said Issa agreed to help and plans on his reaching out to Washington, D.C.
“We believe it's a simple error, and I'm writing a letter to the president and the Secretary of Homeland Security today to ask them to immediately rectify their error, and I'm confident that they will,” Franklin said.
ABC 10News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about if Vista being on the sanctuary jurisdictions list and about Franklin’s stance of it being a mistake.
A senior DHS spokesperson sent a statement that said, "Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a sanctuary jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens. The list is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated, and can be changed at any time. President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: sanctuary jurisdictions should immediately cease violation of Federal law and cooperate with law enforcement."
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