SAN DIEGO, CA - San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez announced this week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer be permitted to use sheriff’s facilities for training or gun qualifications, citing “community concerns” about the agency’s alleged conduct during armed confrontations, Fox News Digital reports. That decision drew sharp criticism from Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella, who slammed the decision in a press release.
“Politics should never interfere with law enforcement training. San Diego County’s decision to deny ICE officers access to facilities where they have trained for years puts politics ahead of public safety. The men and women of ICE carry out dangerous law enforcement operations every day, and rigorous, continuous training is essential to keeping our officers and the public safe.”
Martinez’s move will not affect U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) despite county officials’ attempt to sever facility agreements with both agencies. Martinez said she will continue to allow CBP to use the county’s Otay Range, saying that removing access could make border wait times longer and hurt the regional economy.
“Community trust and strong relationships are the cornerstone of effective local policing,” Martinez said.
“Our authority to enforce the law depends on the trust and confidence of the communities we serve, and I always balance my decisions based on community trust and public safety.”
That did little to assuage Venturella’s concerns.
“Local officials may disagree with federal immigration law but deliberately making it more difficult for federal law enforcement officers to train safely serves no one.”
One criticism leveled at ICE agents is a perceived lack of training. The move by San Diego County to make it more difficult for ICE agents to receive important firearms training seems to run counter to that argument.
“ICE will not allow political obstruction to prevent our officers and agents from receiving the training they need to safely and effectively enforce the laws of the United States and carry out President Trump’s mandate to restore integrity to our immigration system.”
According to Fox News Digital, some 225,000 people enter the U.S. through San Diego ports of entry daily, including over 90,000 vehicles, 50,000 pedestrians, and 5,500 commercial trucks, the sheriff’s office reported. Border wait times generally run between one to three hours, the department said.
The sheriff’s office told Fox News Digital that CBP doesn’t have another comparable training option in the area and that available ranges at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar are limited, which factored into the decision to continue allowing CBP officers to use the county’s range.
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