Residents urge Escondido City Council to cancel ICE firing‑range MOA; council to take up matter next week
February 20, 2026 | Escondido, San Diego County, California
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San Diego City Council member Marnie Von Wilpert and a string of Escondido residents urged the Escondido City Council on Feb. 23 to cancel a memorandum of agreement permitting the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to use the city’s municipal firing range.
“I’m coming today to ask you to cancel the contract with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for the firing range here in the city of Escondido,” Von Wilpert said during public comment, arguing the agreement undermines public trust and discourages immigrant residents from reporting crime.
Speakers across the public‑comment period described the MOA as inconsistent with community values and raised safety and training concerns about ICE. Greg Oliver, who submitted a fact sheet, argued the federal agency has been “fundamentally reshaped” and said the decision to host training facilities is “a statement of local values,” citing a claimed growth in federal enforcement priorities. Several speakers tied the issue to national incidents and local social impacts.
Resident Laura Hunter told the council that termination language in the MOA allows either party to end the agreement without cause. “Either party, by written notice, can terminate the contract,” she said, and urged council members to act.
Councilmembers did not take a final vote on the MOA at the Feb. 23 meeting. Mayor White moved through the evening’s consent agenda and later opened items for discussion, and members indicated they would consider the MOA in upcoming deliberations. Multiple public commenters explicitly requested that the council place a cancellation vote on the agenda at the next meeting.
What happens next: The council did not cancel the agreement at this meeting; speakers said they expect the City Council to address the MOA at the council’s next scheduled meeting. Councilmembers and staff made no binding determination about the MOA on Feb. 23, leaving the formal decision outstanding.
Reporting note: Quotations and claims above are drawn from the city meeting’s public‑comment record; specifics of the MOA (dates, operational details, and the city‑police chief’s rationale) were not read into the record during public comment and therefore are described here only as presented by commenters.
“I’m coming today to ask you to cancel the contract with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for the firing range here in the city of Escondido,” Von Wilpert said during public comment, arguing the agreement undermines public trust and discourages immigrant residents from reporting crime.
Speakers across the public‑comment period described the MOA as inconsistent with community values and raised safety and training concerns about ICE. Greg Oliver, who submitted a fact sheet, argued the federal agency has been “fundamentally reshaped” and said the decision to host training facilities is “a statement of local values,” citing a claimed growth in federal enforcement priorities. Several speakers tied the issue to national incidents and local social impacts.
Resident Laura Hunter told the council that termination language in the MOA allows either party to end the agreement without cause. “Either party, by written notice, can terminate the contract,” she said, and urged council members to act.
Councilmembers did not take a final vote on the MOA at the Feb. 23 meeting. Mayor White moved through the evening’s consent agenda and later opened items for discussion, and members indicated they would consider the MOA in upcoming deliberations. Multiple public commenters explicitly requested that the council place a cancellation vote on the agenda at the next meeting.
What happens next: The council did not cancel the agreement at this meeting; speakers said they expect the City Council to address the MOA at the council’s next scheduled meeting. Councilmembers and staff made no binding determination about the MOA on Feb. 23, leaving the formal decision outstanding.
Reporting note: Quotations and claims above are drawn from the city meeting’s public‑comment record; specifics of the MOA (dates, operational details, and the city‑police chief’s rationale) were not read into the record during public comment and therefore are described here only as presented by commenters.
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