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San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez announced Tuesday that ICE will no longer be allowed to use sheriff’s facilities for training or gun qualifications, citing community concerns about the agency’s conduct during armed confrontations elsewhere in the country.
Martinez’s decision draws a distinction between ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as county officials move to sever facility agreements with both federal agencies. The sheriff said she will continue allowing CBP to use the county’s Otay Range, warning that removing access could worsen border wait times 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.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to ICE for comment on Martinez’s decision and asked whether the change could affect its training or operations.
The move comes as the San Diego County Board of Supervisors has directed the county’s chief administrative officer to have the Department of General Services terminate lease agreements with both ICE and CBP.
Martinez, however, opposes cutting off CBP’s access. She said she spent the past two weeks speaking with community stakeholders and concluded that doing so could affect commerce, workers and traffic throughout the border region.
More than 225,000 people enter the U.S. through San Diego ports of entry each day, including more than 90,000 vehicles, 50,000 pedestrians and 5,500 commercial trucks, according to figures provided by the sheriff’s office. Border wait times generally run between one and three hours, the department said.
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CBP officers are required to complete classroom instruction and gun-range qualifications as part of their training. Martinez argued that losing access to nearby facilities could pull officers away from ports of entry for longer periods, leaving fewer personnel available to staff inspection lanes.
The sheriff’s office said CBP currently does not have another comparable training option in the area and that available ranges at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar are limited.
Fox News Digital reached out to CBP for comment on Martinez’s concerns and asked whether losing access to the Otay Range could affect staffing or wait times at area ports of entry.
Martinez also warned that longer border waits could hurt commerce and increase pollution from idling vehicles. The effects could extend to Imperial County because some CBP officers there use the Otay Range for training, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Fox News Digital reached out to San Diego County for comment on Martinez’s concerns and the rationale for seeking to end CBP’s use of county facilities.
“Too many people on both sides of the border would be harmed by a decision to end CBP’s use of the facility,” Martinez said. “As Sheriff, I have a duty to protect and serve everyone who lives in or enters San Diego County.”
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The sheriff’s office said it is exploring future training options.
