Escondido residents press council to cancel DHS/ICE firing-range agreement; motion to terminate fails

Hundreds of residents filled Escondido City Hall on a single agenda item Tuesday night, urging the City Council to cancel an agreement that allows Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an operational component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to use the Escondido Police Department(EPD) firearms training range.

The chief of police, Ken Plunkett, told the council the range sits on more than 250 acres, includes three firing ranges and is used under contract by about 600 officers and agents from roughly 20 local, state and federal agencies. Plunkett described two related documents: a City of Escondido range agreement and a federal memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by DHS. The MOA carried an effective date of Oct. 14, 2024, Plunkett said, and the federal procurement documents list an initial year of funding at $22,500 with optional additional years that together total a potential $67,500.

"We do not have a contract for the ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations), only HSI agents are allowed to shoot at our range and ERO personnel are not," Plunkett said in his presentation, which also reviewed possible financial liability and procurement rules if the city canceled the agreement.

More than two hours of public comment followed. Speakers from neighborhood groups, faith communities, teachers, veterans and coalition organizers told the council the contract has eroded trust and provoked fear among immigrant residents. Many cited recent national incidents and local reports of detentions; several referenced SB 54 (the California Values Act) and urged the council to act immediately.

"The city of Escondido should not be abetting the terroristic tactics that ICE is using to kidnap our people," said Kyle Crayhill, one of the earliest speakers. Later speakers gave first-person accounts of family members detained or described children who are afraid to attend school.

When council deliberations began, Councilmember Consuelo Martinez moved that the city manager terminate the MOA with DHS/ICE/HSI immediately and directed staff to implement the termination. "I would like to motion for the city manager, through the city manager to cancel, terminate effective immediately, the MOA with DHS using the — DHS/ICE using our police range," Martinez said.

The motion received no second and therefore did not advance. Mayor Dane White and other council members spent much of their remarks balancing two aims: responding to community fears and recognizing operational and legal limits on the council's authority over contracts that were signed administratively. Deputy Mayor Joe Garcia and Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald expressed concerns about the practical impacts of ending a contract on regional training and task-force partnerships, while Martinez and Councilmember Christian Garcia emphasized community trust and safety.

Before moving to the remaining agenda items the council voted 5-0 to extend the meeting beyond its scheduled end so it could complete the public hearing and other business.

The meeting did not record the MOA's termination that night; instead the council approved other items later in the agenda, including a housing development and a HOME-program allocation process (both by 5-0 votes). The council left open further review of EPD contracting practices and discussed directing staff to provide clearer notice to council when certain categories of agreements are entered into.

What's next: Councilmembers indicated they want additional information from the city attorney and police about termination clauses and potential federal procurement implications before taking further binding action. Advocates said they will return to insist on a formal vote to cancel the MOA.

Sources: City staff presentation by Chief Ken Plunkett; extended public-comment record; council deliberations and roll-call votes.