SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Elected officials in San Diego and throughout the state wasted no time Wednesday lashing out at President Donald Trump's executive actions calling for construction of a wall along the Mexican border and slashing funding for so-called "sanctuary" cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
"SD already has a border built by the Feds. Crossborder trade creates jobs. Our binational economic & cultural ties have my full support," San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer tweeted.
Faulconer, a Republican, has boosted San Diego and Tijuana as a binational region and consistently opposed Trump on the issue.
SD already has a border built by the Feds. Crossborder trade creates jobs. Our binational economic & cultural ties have my full support.
— Kevin Faulconer (@Kevin_Faulconer) January 25, 2017
Taking part in a conference call conducted by immigrant rights advocates, San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward said the president's actions will reduce safety in the border cities.
"Patrolling them with tens of thousands of heavily armed, unaccountable agents puts our lives at risk and it will turn our communities into military zones," Ward said.
"Trust between the community and local law enforcement is essential for everyone's security," he said. "Policies that direct local law enforcement to participate in border enforcement -- that includes interrogating people on their way to school, work and other destinations -- erodes this trust."
Ward said the president's actions against sanctuary cities "threatens the sovereignty of local officials to manage our affairs and protect our communities."
Building a border wall was a hallmark of Trump's presidential campaign, and he continues to insist that although the United States will be moving ahead with construction, Mexico will ultimately foot the bill -- something Mexican leaders have steadfastly denied.
Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
In a speech, the president said construction would begin immediately on a wall that is "so badly needed." He also said he wants to hire 5,000 new agents for the U.S. Border Patrol and remove immigrant criminal offenders to their countries of origin.
Fences already exist along much of the border with Mexico, including San Diego. Other areas are patrolled by Border Patrol agents or observed via remote cameras.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, a Democrat who represents southern San Diego County, said Trump's actions run contrary to basic American values of compassion and inclusion.
"He will jeopardize the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children who are in harm's way," Gonzalez Fletcher said.
"Forcing police to freelance as border agents doesn't make our communities safer, nor neither does wasting billions of American tax dollars to further divide our binational community with a border wall," she said. "This is embarrassingly un-American."
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said Trump's orders will "harm public safety, tear families apart and jeopardize national security."
"Forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for a wall isn't a solution, it's a political gesture," Harris said. "And telling cities they must deny public safety, education and health care services to children and families living within their jurisdiction will not make us more secure, it will mean fewer crimes reported and more families living in fear.
U.S. Senator Kamala Harris releases statement on Trump's immigration executive orders pic.twitter.com/Z8kAgjuVOi
— 10News (@10News) January 25, 2017
In its first few days, this new administration has consistently acted against the interests of those who are voiceless and vulnerable," she said.
