The San Diego Association of Governments has faced criticism over how federal immigration agents use a local law enforcement database. Now, KPBS reporter Elaine Alfaro says San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre is calling on SANDAG to deny ICE access to the database.

San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre is speaking out against federal immigration enforcement, specifically ICE, having access to a countywide police database.

The database, known as ARJIS, contains records of traffic citations, arrests, field interviews and some driver's license information from police agencies across the county. It is maintained by the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG.

As KPBS has previously reported, federal immigration agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), pay a six figure annual fee for access to the database.

Privacy and immigrant advocates have criticized SANDAG for granting this access, saying it potentially violates California's immigrant sanctuary laws. The criticism has intensified in the wake of President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign.

In addition to Aguirre, a Democrat who represents the county supervisors, the SANDAG board includes elected leaders from the county's 18 cities.

Previously, board members had offered little comment on ARJIS outside of SANDAG meetings. Last week, Aguirre called on the board to ban ICE from accessing ARJIS, saying the agency could not be trusted.

“ICE has eroded public trust,” Aguirre said. “They have not followed due legal process.”

Federal agencies are given access to ARJIS for criminal investigations, but they are prohibited from using it for immigration enforcement. However, the user agreements do not allow SANDAG to do independent audits of a specific agency’s use of ARJIS. Instead, an audit only happens when one is requested by the agency or the California Department of Justice. Past KPBS reporting found that CBP's use of ARJIS was last audited in 2017.

Aguirre made it clear in an interview with KPBS that she is not opposed to a contract with CBP, but she does not want ICE to have access to the data.

“We know that at this point there is a severe distrust of this agency based on their record, especially in recent years of how they conduct themselves … and how they've created fear in our communities,” Aguirre said.

A spokesperson for ICE did not respond to a KPBS request for comment.

KPBS requested interviews with all of the elected leaders on the SANDAG board. Apart from Aguirre, the only board member who agreed to an interview was El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells. Wells, a Republican, supports President Trump’s immigration agenda and is a critic of California’s state sanctuary law (SB 54).

“Everybody understands that we have to follow SB 54,” Wells said. “I personally don't agree with that. I think that the federal government has supremacy over the state of California.”

Nonetheless, Wells said he’s confident that ICE agents have not accessed the information. “We've been given assurances after assurances that this data can't be used by ICE,” he said.

Wells also dismissed Aguirre’s concerns about ARJIS, which he described as political virtue signaling.

“I just think that this is something that people do to signal to their base that they're really serious about trying to stop ICE from doing their job, and I don't think there's any real value in it,” Wells said.

Regardless of what SANDAG board members might do, future access to ARJIS could be impacted by a state law passed in 2025.

Under the law, known as SB 580, Attorney General Rob Bonta is required to create new recommendations by this July on how state and local agencies should manage databases. Specifically, the guidance will outline how agencies should limit how data systems are used for immigration enforcement. 

“SB 580 will be an important step to further enhance these controls and guide how SANDAG can make ARJIS training, operations and audit procedures even stronger,” SANDAG said in a statement to KPBS.

San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava was among several SANDAG board members who responded.

“This is a time where due process is under assault,” LaCava wrote. “We must keep the safety and well-being of our communities a top priority while ensuring public safety has the tools they need. We are currently refining ARJIS’s robust internal controls as we await State guidelines on SB 580, and I am firmly committed to strengthening these controls.”

The SANDAG board discussed ARJIS in private session last Friday.

Aguirre’s office said the current agreement allowing ICE to access the database is set to expire on June 30.