ESCONDIDO — After hours of emotional testimony and a lengthy, contentious debate, the Escondido City Council declined Tuesday to revisit an existing contract allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to train at a police-owned firing range.
Before a crowded chamber, Police Chief Ken Plunkett told the City Council at its Feb. 25 meeting that the more than 250-acre firearms facility provides a “unique, open-space environment” that is “well suited for firearms, scenario-based and specialized training” by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
The facility includes three shooting ranges — two available for rent — along with two portable classrooms and a scenario-based training area.
“Members of Escondido Police Department do not provide training to outside law enforcement agencies that contract to rent the facility,” Plunkett said. “Contracted agencies must supply their own trainers, safety officers and equipment.”
The facility currently has agreements with 20 agencies and has been used by the Department of Homeland Security and ICE since at least 2013, based on records reviewed by Plunkett. Escondido police have maintained a contract with ICE each year since range-use agreements were formalized in 2018.
The current contract — first reported by L.A. Taco — was signed Jan. 14, according to documents reviewed by The Coast News. The federal procurement agreement runs through Jan. 14, 2029, at $22,500 annually, for a total of $67,500.
Under the Memorandum of Agreement outlining the arrangement, “either party may terminate the MOA immediately upon written notice,” Plunkett said.
The city rents the range only to Homeland Security Investigations, which investigates crimes including human trafficking, money laundering and drug smuggling, according to Plunkett.
“Currently, the HSI unit out of San Diego is the only DHS agency that has contracted use of our range,” Plunkett said, adding the department does not rent the facility to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit.
Mayor Dane White confirmed with City Manager Sean McGlynn that the council is not required to approve contracts under $200,000 and that the city likely maintains thousands of similar agreements.
Neither McGlynn nor City Attorney Michael McGuinness could recall another instance in which the council terminated a contract without cause.
“We don’t hire anybody, we have nothing to do with business licenses or building permit applications or recreation or anything like that,” White said. “Our job is policy.”
White said the city functions best when elected officials leave day-to-day operations to professional administrators.
“When council members or mayors get involved in operations, it creates confusion about who has the authority,” White said. “Where do you draw the line? There is nowhere to draw it because this is political, and the only thing that this serves is chaos.”
Councilmember Consuelo Martinez later moved to cancel the agreement. The proposal drew a standing ovation from attendees but failed to receive the required second from another council member, preventing a vote.
Voices of the people
The meeting followed a rally outside Escondido City Hall, which included speeches, anti-ICE signs, and volunteer peacekeepers wearing bright yellow reflective vests.
Organizer Richard Cannon said the peacekeepers were present to help de-escalate tensions and ensure safety.
“We usually try to have peacekeepers at every rally,” Cannon said.
Speakers included attorney and civil rights advocate S.G. Sarmiento, Valley Center Democratic Club President Jim Nielsen and Vista City Councilmember Corinna Contreras.
“We have no safeguards against this unconstitutional terror from the Trump administration,” Contreras said. “We see ICE and the destruction and terror that they bring into these communities.”
Jennifer Barker and Rebecca Littlejohn, activists from Valley Center, said they learned about the rally during a vigil for ICE victims the previous week.
“These are our neighbors, our friends,” Littlejohn said. “Maybe it’s a different community, but they’re in our community.”
After learning about the firing range agreement, she recalled thinking, “‘What? That can’t be true.’”
Barker and Littlejohn said they are organizing a food pantry to support residents who may be afraid to leave their homes amid immigration enforcement operations.
“There’s a need for it — there’s a definite need,” Barker said.
Cannon estimated between 100 and 200 protesters gathered before lining up to enter the council chambers.
Both the chambers and the Mitchell Room, an overflow viewing room, reached capacity, leaving many attendees outside watching proceedings on their phones as chants of “Let us in” echoed outside City Hall.
City Clerk Zack Beck repeatedly assured attendees that everyone would have an opportunity to speak, noting capacity limits were set by the fire marshal for safety reasons.
Public comment lasted nearly four hours, with speakers allotted two minutes each. The overwhelming majority of public speakers urged council members to cancel the contract.
During a recess, Beck displayed two stacks of yellow speaker cards, each roughly an inch thick, when asked how many people had signed up.
Speakers ranged from longtime residents to first-time participants, including two eighth graders and a man in his 70s. Others included Escondido mayoral candidate Elias Velazquez and county supervisor candidate Kyle Krahel.
Some warned elected officials they would face political consequences if the contract remained in place. One woman cried while recounting a personal encounter with ICE and was comforted by another attendee.
Reverend Margaret Decker of the Escondido Interfaith Alliance also spoke against the contract, along with members of Sowing Seeds of Dignity, including Simón Guzmán, who urged council members, “Please don’t end the conversation here.”
Many attendees wore yellow stickers reading “Cancel the Contract Now!” while others carried signs criticizing ICE.
Ron Willis, who said he has more than 50 years of firearms training experience, argued immigration agents needed more legal instruction rather than additional range time.
“How to shoot is easy to train,” Willis said. “When to shoot is difficult.”
Some speakers compared ICE agents to Nazis, while others read Bible passages or historical writings, including excerpts from “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
Only two speakers supported continuing the contract. Barry Speer, a longtime Escondido resident, said “often well-intended, loud voices distort the quieter majority.”
Mary Davis, an experienced markswoman, said continuing the agreement provided “a public service” by helping officers maintain firearm proficiency.
“I have not heard a single person talk about these children,” Davis said while holding a poster featuring victims of violent crimes, including 11-year-old Escondido resident Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz.
Multiple recesses were called as officials worked to maintain order.
“Believe it or not, we do want to listen,” White told the audience after a break. “But we also have legitimate business after this item that needs to be conducted tonight.”
Council responds
Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald said fear surrounding immigration enforcement had been fueled in part by misleading language.
“Sometimes those scenes can be very upsetting,” Fitzgerald said of videos showing ICE arrests. “But we have to understand the legality of these actions.”
Deputy Mayor Joe Garcia said his decision weighed heavily given his own experiences with immigration enforcement.
“I have been stopped by immigration officers,” Joe Garcia said. “I have been handcuffed by immigration officers.”
As a pastor, Joe Garcia said scripture shaped his thinking.
“People speak scripture — ‘Love your neighbor’ — absolutely,” he said. “But the Bible also says you follow the laws of the land.”
Councilmember Christian Garcia said he shared many concerns raised by residents, but noted Homeland Security Investigations also targets crimes such as human trafficking and drug smuggling.
“My concern is that immigration agents being here could potentially erode the trust that we have,” Christian Garcia said, suggesting future policies could require similar contracts to come before the council for review.
Martinez outlined what she described as a history of anti-immigrant policies connected to past city leadership.
“I do believe that ICE is a rogue agency. It’s unaccountable,” Martinez said, warning immigration enforcement activity would continue locally regardless of the council’s decision. “We have to keep each other safe.”
Martinez’s motion to terminate the contract ultimately failed to advance without a second.
Following another recess, many attendees exited the chambers, shouting frustrations toward council members as they departed through a rear exit.
Outside City Hall, activists gathered to discuss next steps.
“I think a lot of us knew coming into this meeting that we were facing a hostile leadership,” Guzmán said. “But it still hurts, right?”
