Lake Elsinore mayor rejects social-media accusations, says council will not become sanctuary city

Mayor Dennis Tisdale used his council time to rebuke social-media posts he described as false and inflammatory and to reiterate his position that the city will not declare itself a sanctuary city.

Tisdale said a social-media influencer, identified in council remarks as Alan Vargas, was not present at the prior meeting and had taken select words out of context. He said his earlier remarks — given during a June council meeting when a member of the public requested a sanctuary-city declaration — were intended to emphasize vigilance and public-safety coordination during busy holiday weekends, not to encourage immigration-enforcement actions.

"I stated the city of Lake Elsinore will not become a sanctuary city because it does not serve us," Tisdale said. "If our law enforcement agencies cannot work effectively with the FBI and other relevant agencies, we will be at risk of being unsafe." He added that his comments were about safety and urged residents to "if you see something, say something."

Tisdale described the social-media posts as "false, misleading, and inflammatory" and formally requested a public apology from Mr. Vargas and the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. He said the mischaracterizations had created division in the community and did not reflect his record of service, which he summarized by noting his 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and his current emergency-management work for Riverside County.

The mayor directed residents to the city's archived video of the prior meeting for the public record and said the council avoids federal issues that could divide the city. He also said his remarks had nothing to do with encouraging calls to federal immigration authorities or bounty hunters, contrary to the claims in the social-media posts.

Tisdale closed by saying he would continue to prioritize safety and community unity and asked that false, divisive claims be corrected.