San Diego County Officials Vote to Sue Trump Administration Over Handling of Asylum-Seekers

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to sue the Trump administration over its handling of asylum-seeking families.

The decision was reached in a closed-door session. It was unclear if the vote was unanimous.

The board’s decision comes after a recent vote to open a shelter to temporarily house migrants going through the asylum process.

In a statement, board Chairwoman Dianne Jacob said the Trump administration “created this crisis by releasing asylum-seeking families into our community without providing critical resources or even places to shelter.” Jacob said the lawsuit is an effort to hold the federal government accountable for failing to “consider the impact of its own actions on public health and safety,” which has included separating migrant children from their parents.

Supervisor Nathan Fletcher released a statement supporting the decision to sue.

“While we want the courts to weigh in, San Diego County will not abandon asylum seekers,” Fletcher said. “We are committed to continuing our work with San Diego Rapid Response Network and the state of California to ensure humane and compassionate treatment for all.”

In a report from January 29, 2019, Dianne Jacob told KUSI’s Sasha Foo that she was thinking about suing the Trump administration. Jacob said, “to get the Federal Government to step up and do their job, and take care of these asylum seekers, and don’t ask the County of San Diego to clean up their mess.”