As talk of promised mass deportations under the incoming Trump administration heats up, El Cajon has stepped into the fray by considering a resolution to allow local law enforcement to assist federal immigration officers. El Cajon City Council members were not opposed to the concept of the resolution as it came before them at Tuesday’s meeting, but a majority were swayed by concerns of about 10 speakers who said they feared it would create anxiety among Latino migrant residents and could lead to greater crime because of mistrust of local law enforcement. The council directed city staff to return with a re-worded resolution to ease those concerns. The proposed resolution would have declared the city of El Cajon’s intent to comply with federal immigration laws and reflect “the city’s balanced approach to public safety, legal compliance and community trust.” City Manager Graham Mitchell said no other city in the county, if not the state, had adopted a similar resolution. The resolution is in stark contrast to the one recently passed by the county Board of Supervisors that bars county agencies from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration enforcement, including when it comes to the transfer of immigrant jail inmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mayor Bill Wells supported El Cajon’s resolution as-is and cast the only vote opposing an alternate motion to have it returned with new wording. That redo aims to clarify the resolution’s intent: to protect all residents by working with ICE officers in assisting with arrests only of migrants who had committed serious crimes. Speakers in opposition to the original resolution included Pedro Ríos, director of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S./Mexico Border program, who said it amounts to fear-mongering. “Passing this resolution is not only a mistake, it shows your true colors,” he said. Other speakers, most of whom are Latino, said the resolution left them in fear that El Cajon police would detain them and ask for proof of citizenship even if they had done no wrong. Mitchell and Wells said the resolution was an attempt to address how El Cajon and other California cities are caught between a new federal push to crack down on illegal immigration and a state law that restricts the role local law enforcement can play. California State Senate Bill 54, in effect since 2018, limits the use of local police and sheriff’s departments in investigating, detaining or arresting people for civil immigration violations, among other actions. In a Dec. 10 letter to state Attorney General Rob Bonta, Wells asked for clarification of the parameters of SB 54. Bonta has yet to write back, and the resolution included a continued effort to seek clarification. “Provisions of SB 54 add to the complexities that the city must navigate, especially as state and federal immigration policies are inconsistent, putting cities and their personnel in a difficult position,” the letter to Bonta read. Wells also asked if the resolution to assist federal officers could place the city in trouble with the state. “If the city of El Cajon engages in cooperative efforts with federal immigration authorities in cases involving felony offenders, what enforcement actions or penalties will the State of California pursue under SB 54?” he wrote. “Are there specific procedural steps the Attorney General’s Office would take in response to perceived noncompliance?” Councilmember Gary Kendrick said he saw cooperating with ICE to apprehend serious criminals as reasonable, but he was sympathetic to concerns addressed by speakers. “I think it’s important that we really work hard to safeguard everybody’s rights,” he said. “Our immigrant community is very much a part of the fabric of our society, and I don’t want to tear out that fabric.” Councilmembers Michelle Metschel and Steve Goble had similar concerns. The county is still working through the aftermath of its December resolution banning cooperation with ICE on immigration matters. Former board Chair Nora Vargas said such a policy was necessary to keep families together and protect public trust. That resolution put the county at odds with Sheriff Kelly Martinez, an elected official who said her department is an independent body that does not have to follow the supervisors’ directive. Martinez said the Sheriff’s Office will act within the parameters of SB 54. Blurring the rules further, advisers to President-elect Donald Trump have threatened future legal consequences for cities and counties that do not comply with federal immigration authorities. Vargas, who has since left her position on the board, was among elected officials nationwide who recently received a letter warning so-called “sanctuary” counties and municipalities that they face legal risks if they do not comply with federal immigration enforcement. The letter was sent by America First Legal Foundation, which is headed by Stephen Miller, whom Trump has named deputy chief of staff for policy.