Politics as usual

The Trump administration lawsuit over California “sanctuary” laws meant to limit local and state law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials is sure to make headlines for months, perhaps years, to come. Critics of the White House note how police chiefs want unauthorized immigrants to be able to come forward to report crimes. Critics of the state cite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving Arizona that emphasized the primacy of the federal government on immigration.

But the deadline for interested parties to file an amicus brief with the federal trial court that will hear the case has passed. If San Diego county supervisors wanted to get involved in a meaningful way—if they truly believed the county had important legal arguments that needed to be aired—they would have met the deadline. Instead, supervisors chose to wade into the fray Tuesday afternoon with a 3-1 vote committing the county to file an amicus brief in support of the White House at some future date—if and when the case reaches an appeals court.

This is not a constructive act. This is culture war posturing, pure and simple. It was no surprise to see Bill Horn back the measure, but fellow Republicans Kristin Gaspar and Dianne Jacob have given signs over the years that they are pragmatists, not ideologues who enjoy seeing people at each other’s throats. Their Tuesday votes suggest that perception is now out of date—or was never right.

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