San Diego County will no longer permit federal immigration enforcement agents to use local firing ranges for training after the Board of Supervisors approved a policy ending those arrangements Tuesday.
The 3-2 vote terminated license agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection that had allowed access to the San Diego Regional Firearms Training Center in Otay Mesa and a separate facility at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre introduced the measure, which takes effect 10 days after formal notice to the federal government.
County Sheriff Kelly Martinez notified ICE officials Tuesday that agents would lose access to sheriff's facilities for training and firearms qualifications. The agreements dated back to at least 2017, with a 10-year license for the Otay Mesa site signed in 2021 and a 2022 agreement covering Miramar.
Federal agents had used the ranges for years, including hundreds of hours since January for Homeland Security personnel. The county charged hourly fees for the use.
The decision comes amid expanded federal deportation operations under the Trump administration. Two supervisors had argued that county facilities should not support those efforts.
The policy applies specifically to federal immigration enforcement agencies and does not affect other law enforcement training partnerships.
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