DATE:
April 8, 2025
15
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECTTitle
DEFENDING DUE PROCESS RIGHTS AND PREVENTING UNJUST DEPORTATIONS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Everyone deserves a fair day in court-regardless of their immigration status. But as federal enforcement policies grow more aggressive and unpredictable, too many San Diegans are at risk of deportation without ever having a chance to make their case. San Diego County is a welcoming, binational region built by immigrants. Over 22% of our residents live in mixed-status householdsi. These neighbors, friends, and family members are directly impacted by the legal complexities-and injustices-of our immigration system.
Indiscriminate deportation sweeps and aggressive immigration enforcement are tearing families apart, destabilizing neighborhoods, and eroding trust in government. These operations bypass due process and swiftly remove people from their homes and communities without even a hearing-violating basic constitutional rights. The impacts are immediate and long-lasting: kids left without parents, workers ripped from jobs, and families forced into crisis overnight.
San Diego County has a proud track record of standing up for constitutional rights and defending every resident's access to justice-regardless of immigration status. We remain unwavering in our commitment to the principles enshrined in the 4th and 5th Amendments: due process, equal protection, and freedom from unlawful detention. At a time when federal policies are undermining those rights, it's our job to lead locally and protect the people who call this region home.
However, our communities are facing growing threats to their due process rights, as executive ordersii and federal policies undermine fundamental legal protections. In January 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unilaterally expanded its "expedited removal" protocol, stripping thousands of immigrants of their right to a hearing before a judg...
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