Latest news with #ImmigrantLegalDefenseProgram
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local leaders push back on ‘billion dollar' tax proposal from county supervisor
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is proposing a $1 billion tax increase to preserve key programs she says are threatened by federal funding cuts. During her State of the County address Wednesday night, Lawson-Remer said less financial support from the federal government is jeopardizing services such as public safety, healthcare and housing. She specifically criticized policies from the Trump administration for slashing funding for programs that she said San Diegans rely on. 'When federal leadership fails, local government must lead,' Lawson-Remer said. San Diego County fails to pass expansion of Immigrant Legal Defense Program To offset the projected $130 million budget shortfall, Lawson-Remer suggested tapping into county reserves and introducing a local revenue measure that could generate up to $1 billion annually. The funds, she said, would help maintain programs including a county-run Medicaid system that serves nearly one million residents. 'We have more than $100 million in excess reserves just sitting in an account above what's recommended by best fiscal practices,' she said. 'We could raise the money ourselves.' But the proposal is already drawing harsh criticism from some local leaders, who argue that raising taxes would hurt families and the housing market. 'San Diego County families do not want a massive tax hike at their expense,' said Vista Mayor John Franklin, who is has announced plans to run to succeed the termed-out Jim Desmond in the District 5 seat on the Board of Supervisors. Franklin held a press conference Thursday following Lawson-Remer's address, warning that the measure could increase taxes on residential and commercial properties. He claimed some homeowners might end up paying as much as 5.5% of their home's value upon selling. 'This outrageous tax will stagnate our real estate market — both residential and commercial,' Franklin said. 'People will continue to flee San Diego County if we pass these tax increases.' El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, who was also present during the press conference, echoed those concerns. Recall effort underway for Poway councilmember 'Whether you are on the left or the right, you should care about the quality of life in San Diego County,' Wells said. 'I don't think anybody's life will be improved by having a tax placed on the ability to sell your house without giving a huge portion of it to the County of San Diego.' Lawson-Remer maintains that the county has little choice, citing the significant funding gaps and federal inaction. 'Every decision Washington makes impacts our ability to serve you,' she said. The proposal would need to go before voters for approval before it could take effect. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
International student at San Diego State abruptly stripped of visa
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The Trump administration's revocation of international students' visas has reached San Diego State University. In a statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for the university confirmed it is assisting one student who had their visa to study in the U.S. abruptly rescinded without 'any explanation as to why,' amid a nationwide crackdown by the White House on F-1 visa holders. Due to student privacy laws, the university did not disclose any additional details about the student, including country of origin or whether they are facing immediate deportation. San Diego County fails to pass expansion of Immigrant Legal Defense Program The SDSU student becomes the sixth at San Diego's colleges to have their visa quietly pulled in recent weeks, joining five enrolled at UC San Diego. Another UCSD student had been detained at the border and deported to their home country in spite of their legal status, the university said. They join scores of other international students across the country who have befallen similar fates as the Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement on college campuses. These moves have come at a surprise to the universities, who have long been the typical initiator of the process to strip a student of their visa. Both SDSU and UCSD said in their respective statements they were not notified in advance of the move for any of their impacted students. GOP senators back crackdown on foreign students The effort ostensibly began as a way to penalize international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism or speech on college campuses last year, as was the case for the detentions of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder involved in protests at Columbia University last year, and Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University who published an op-ed on the topic. However, it now appears this effort has moved beyond connections to campus protests. As the Associated Press has reported, some students have had their visas revoked in recent weeks for minor traffic infractions, while others have been given no reason. It is unclear whether pro-Palestinian campus protests last year, like the encampment at UCSD and a walkout at SDSU, played a role in any of the San Diego-area students' visa revocations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Diego County fails to pass expansion of Immigrant Legal Defense Program
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A proposal to expand the San Diego County's current Immigrant Legal Defense Program failed to pass the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The Immigrant Legal Defense Program was first passed in 2021, and began in 2022, after a proposal from Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. The $5 million per year program funds legal fees for migrants seeking asylum, who are detained. Lawson-Remer said since the program began in 2022, they've helped 2,500 migrants at the Otay Mesa Detention Facility through the legal process and have had a 66 percent success rate. She said under this program they've also had people who were not legally allowed to be in the U.S. (for certain criminal convictions), get deported faster. April 8 District 1 Supervisor special election: What to know Lawson-Remer's proposal would have expanded the program to allow for any migrant in the county, including those not detained, to access legal representation under the program. The new proposal would have not taken cases for people with serious criminal convictions such as rape, murder or drug trafficking. 'The constitution is not a suggestion, due process should not be optional,' Lawson-Remer said during Tuesday's board meeting. 'I don't think we should be spending our tax dollars when we're actually having a lot of defunding going on and we need this money,' said Audra Morgan, who spoke out against the proposal during public comment on Tuesday. While a majority of the Board of Supervisors who were present at Tuesday's meeting voted for it, the measure still failed. DHS issues waiver to bypass certain laws to speed border wall construction in San Diego After the vote failed, Lawson-Remer and activists held a rally outside the county administration. 'It's really unfortunate, when you end up with frankly a kind of partisan split, where people don't respect the basic principals of human rights because they are more interested in sort of kowtowing to whatever is coming out of the administration in Washington. It's very sad,' Lawson-Remer said on the failed vote. 'I'm glad that it failed, I do have compassion for illegal immigrants that are working here, but the fact is that they are illegal and I don't think we shouldn't be spending our tax dollars trying to defend that,' said Mark, who also spoke out against the proposal during the public comment portion of Tuesday's board meeting. Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe voted for it, while Joel Anderson voted against it, and did not speak about the proposal during public comment. Growing homeless encampment in a City Heights neighborhood is worrying residents Supervisor Jim Desmond is in Washington D.C. and the District 1 seat remains vacant, which could have been a deciding vote on this proposal. Lawson-Remer said she plans to bring the proposal back to the board as soon as another District 1 Supervisor is sworn in. Desmond said in a statement regarding his absence, 'This week, I had the opportunity to meet with several high-ranking officials in the federal government to advocate for critical issues impacting San Diego. With how quickly this administration is moving on matters like tariffs and other national policies, I felt it was imperative to be there in person to ensure San Diegans' voices are heard and to work toward real solutions that benefit our region.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
