California’s second-largest county has barred federal immigration agents from using county shooting ranges and firearms training facilities, drawing accusations of hypocrisy from the top Republican in the state Legislature, who represents part of the county.
The move comes as Democrats criticize ICE over the training its agents receive, while dozens of members of Congress have questioned training standards following deadly agent-involved shootings. California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-Poway, told Fox News Digital exclusively that the decision clashes with Democrats’ own demands for better-trained ICE agents.
"Leftist Democrats cannot continue to advocate for federal agents to ‘get more training’ while at the same time purposefully removing opportunities like this to get that very training," Jones told Fox News Digital.
"The hypocrisy is dumbfounding."
FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS NEWSOM’S BID TO SHACKLE ICE IN TRUMP IMMIGRATION WIN
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 at its August meeting to end licensing agreements with DHS that allow agents to use the Miramar and San Diego Regional firearms training centers.
Jones said the move has consequences beyond preventing federal agents from using the facilities, arguing that their presence also provides an economic benefit.
"Not only do they speak from both sides of the mouth with actions like this, but this continues the board’s trend of making reckless fiscal decisions that harm San Diegans, seemingly by the day," Jones said.
"How much will this breach-of-contract and loss of business cost our community and its taxpayers?"
DEMOCRAT COMPARES ICE TO 'DOMESTIC TERRORISTS' AS 111 HOUSE DEMS DEMAND TEXAS DETENTION CENTER CLOSE
Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, D-San Ysidro, pushed back on critics during the meeting. She said they will never feel the fear some San Diegans experience when they hear knocks on their doors from the "people who are supposed to protect you."
"I see what that fear does every day in the South Bay," she said, adding that, as the supervisor representing the Mexican ports of entry in San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, she understands the importance of the border and the people who cross it daily.
"When fear forces a community into silence, the people they elected have a duty to speak and that's what this item is about," she said.
The board’s two Republicans, Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson, voted against the measure. Desmond is running this fall to succeed retiring Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
FLEEING SUSPECT IN NEW JERSEY STRIKES ICE AGENT, WHO OPENS FIRE
The San Diego vote comes as nearly three dozen House Democrats demand answers from DHS about the training and preparedness of immigration agents following the agent-involved shooting death of a Minnesota woman. Authorities said the woman tried to run over an agent with her car.
"Although Acting Director Lyons has said that he has not lowered the training threshold for ICE agents, there is substantial evidence that contradicts this claim. Specifically, it has been reported that the training for ICE agents was significantly reduced…" a letter to DHS, CBP and ICE from 28 lawmakers led by Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., read.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS NEW YORK LAW BANNING ICE AGENTS FROM WEARING MASKS
Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., also questioned whether federal immigration agents receive sufficient training during a February hearing.
"What are they going to do with all of these [DHS agents] as they are learning on-the-job with weapons in their hands, wearing masks so they can’t be identified? …Visualize the America they’re designing for us in the future with those parameters," Durbin said to Cato Institute scholar David Bier.
ICE EYES $20M PURCHASE OF ELECTRIC SHOCK GLOVES AS HOCHUL WARNS OF LEGAL CONSEQUENCES
Calls for additional training have also come from inside the Trump administration.
"There's always room for improvement. Things change all the time," Border Czar Tom Homan told reporters in July.
SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER
"You can never be overtrained. I wish there was more training."
Fox News Digital reached out to Salinas and Durbin for comment.
