ESCONDIDO — A group of concerned neighbors is urging the city to affirm that all of its residents, regardless of immigration status, should feel welcomed and secure in their right to due process in response to recent increases in federal immigration enforcement.
The group, Escondido Neighbors for Solutions, presented a draft resolution to Escondido City Council last month that would affirm Escondido’s status as a “Welcoming City” and would commit the city to “safeguarding the due process and constitutional rights of all individuals, regardless of immigration status.”
According to Escondido resident Gregg Oliver, who spoke along with several others at the July 23 meeting during public comment, said the resolution aims to offer council a “clear, lawful framework for addressing these issues, aligning Escondido with fundamental American values of due process, transparency and dignity for all.
“A great many of Escondido citizens are deeply alarmed by recent federal actions taken against their friends, co-workers and neighbors,” Oliver said. “This profound concern has consumed our community, and we know the council has felt it as well.”
In the first five months of President Donald Trump’s second term, Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents have ramped up immigration arrests compared to prior years.
More than 109,000 arrests have been made since January, with most occurring in border and Southern states, according to CBS News. During the same time frame in 2024, during the Biden administration, over 49,000 arrests were made, meaning that the agency has increased its arrests by 120% under Trump.
Trump has promised to focus on “the worst of the worst,” however more recent numbers indicate a different story.
According to the Deportation Data Project, in January, 64% of ICE arrestees had a criminal charge or conviction. By June, however, more than 72% of ICE arrestees had no criminal charges or convictions aside from their undocumented status.
Latin Americans account for the majority of arrests.
According to Oliver, the increase in arrests and detainment has created “widespread fear and confusion” within Escondido, whose population is nearly 52% Hispanic, according to Data USA.
While state and local law enforcement agencies in California are generally prohibited from assisting federal immigration efforts, with the exception of someone who has been convicted of a serious crime, Escondido Neighbors for Solutions believes these arrests have still eroded public trust in local law enforcement, thus impacting the community’s overall safety and economic stability.
“We need the council to step up and set the rules and tone for how you expect federal immigration personnel to operate in our city,” Escondido resident Laura Hunter said. “If we have criminals, we have police that are very good at catching them, but if federal activities scare everybody, undermine that trust, make it harder for the police to their job, then we are all less safe.”
The group’s push for a resolution followed Councilmember Christian Garcia’s earlier request on June 25. That request was for council to write a letter to local congressional representatives urging a need for immigration reform and to address how a current “lack of policy is affecting our city.” His request was backed by Mayor Dane White.
Garcia elaborated on his intentions with the letter on Facebook.
“The goal is to have our regional congressional representatives understand how the lack of clear immigration laws, along with chaotic (and at times unjust) tactics, effects the residents of the city of Escondido,” his post states. “We are looking for holistic, clear, and just policies.”
Garcia said both he and the mayor have been working with city staff and plan to bring it to a vote in the near future.
