SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducting operations in San Diego communities have faced resistance from protesters, prompting calls for emergency assistance from local police.
In recent incidents in South Park and Linda Vista, ICE agents called San Diego Police Department for help when confronted by protesters. In South Park, protesters crowded around and spat on ICE agents' cars, while in Linda Vista, onlookers attempted to push through caution tape to help a man being detained.
"If they're calling for cover, they need assistance, we will respond," SDPD Lieutenant Travis Easter said.
Easter explained this is part of department policy, which states: "Officers will provide emergency assistance to all law enforcement agencies," including those under the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol.
"If somebody is assaulting or harming one of those officers and they feel the need to call for assistance, we will arrive just like anybody calling for help. We don't verify or clarify," Easter said.
When asked whether this practice provides safety for the public or for Homeland Security, Easter responded: "Providing safety for everybody."
Police say they can use caution tape and other tools to separate federal agents from the public. Video from the Linda Vista incident shows a police vehicle positioned in the middle of the road.
Easter believes this assistance does not contradict SB54, the California law that limits local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The law states that officers cannot use department resources to investigate or detain individuals for civil immigration purposes.
Questioned about resource allocation for crowd control during federal operations, Easter explained: "It's a case-by-case basis. Yes, our resources are thin, but when it comes to those situations, that's what we gather. If we have to get people from different parts of the city to respond, that's what we would do."
Easter emphasized that their response is about public safety, not immigration enforcement. He indicated that while the department is currently abiding by the law, the policy could be evaluated in the future if necessary.
ABC10News reached out to Mayor Todd Gloria for a statement in response to this. His office responded with the following statement:
“In accordance with state law, the San Diego Police Department cannot – and does not – assist in federal immigration enforcement operations. It is SDPD’s policy to respond to emergency assistance calls from all law enforcement agencies, because such calls often indicate a situation is posing a danger to members of the public SDPD is sworn to protect.
“As he has stated previously, Mayor Gloria condemns the aggressive tactics ICE is deploying and believes they make our communities less safe – and the fact ICE is having to call SDPD for cover when their enforcement operations escalate into chaos proves his point.”
