ENCINITAS — The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said federal immigration agents seen Friday in the parking lot of the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station were not operating with the agency’s knowledge or assistance, after social media images prompted questions and criticism from some community members.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the North Coastal station began receiving inquiries on March 6 about a social media post showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the station’s publicly accessible front parking lot at 175 N. El Camino Real.
Online activist and content creator Arturo Gonzalez shared photos of the agents on social media, urging community members to “call the Encinitas sheriff and ask why they’re allowing ICE multiple times to stage here.”
Brad Lefkowits, a District 4 candidate for the Encinitas City Council, also criticized what he described as a lack of communication from city leadership.
“I’m pretty pissed off today,” Lefkowits said in a video posted to his Instagram account. “Like a lot of you, I woke up to reports of ICE being back in town today. And I’m personally sick and tired of getting these updates on group chats, social media rumors and not hearing from the people we elected to let us know what’s going on in our city.”
Sheriff’s officials reviewed surveillance footage showing ICE vehicles arriving in the public parking lot around 7:22 a.m. Friday and leaving minutes later before the station opened. The presence of federal agents was not coordinated with the department, and ICE did not access any facilities, officials said.
“Any federal agency participating in immigration-related operations in Encinitas have done so without prior knowledge or assistance from the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station. The incident highlighted on social media is an example of just that,” the department said in a statement. “The North Coastal Sheriff’s Station does not know the circumstances regarding why federal agents were present in the station’s public parking lot.”
The Sheriff’s Office said it continues to comply with California Senate Bill 54, also known as the California Values Act, which limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
Under the law, the department said it does not use its facilities, resources or personnel to assist federal agencies with immigration enforcement.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers said the city contacted federal officials after learning about the reports Friday morning. Immigration and Customs Enforcement later confirmed that officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations briefly stopped in the parking lot but did not conduct any enforcement activity in Encinitas.
While the city maintains communication with federal immigration authorities, Ehlers said local officials cannot direct their actions.
“We cannot cooperate with ICE, and we cannot interfere with them,” Ehlers said.
The city has an understanding with federal agencies that they will notify local officials when operations are planned in the area, Ehlers said, though that notification did not occur in this instance.
Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara said the issue of ICE operations shouldn’t be politicized for campaign purposes, noting that Encinitas officials have faced similar situations in the recent past involving reports of ICE activity.
“The City Council has responded with the full extent of actions under its purview and is continuing to address any situations that arise by all available means, while sharing information and actions with the public,” O’Hara said. “This response is identical to neighboring cities like Carlsbad.”
Concerns about immigration enforcement activity in Encinitas have intensified over the past year following several ICE operations and arrests in the city that drew protests from residents and criticism from local officials.