El Cajon sanctuary lawsuit still making waves one week later

By Paul Levikow

May 6, 2026 (El Cajon) — One week after the City of El Cajon filed a lawsuit challenging California’s sanctuary state law, the political and legal aftershocks continue to reverberate far beyond East County. What began as a local dispute has quickly escalated into a nationally watched test of federal versus state authority, drawing sharp reactions from residents, elected officials, legal advocates and law enforcement agencies.

Now, a week after a high-profile press conference and a flurry of media coverage, the lawsuit continues to dominate headlines, fueling a broader national debate over immigration policy, public safety, and constitutional authority.

Since the filing, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells has become a presence on national media outlets, framing the lawsuit as a constitutional challenge with implications far beyond California.

“We got a tip, 52 undocumented children in our city, suspected victims of sex trafficking,” Wells said in a televised interview. “We ran it by our attorney. He sent it to Sacramento. Sacramento wrote us back and told us we could not check on those kids. It would violate state law. That was when I knew we had to do something.”

“A week ago, El Cajon took on the State of California. The response since has been overwhelming. People across this country are paying attention,” he posted. “Federal law is supreme. The Constitution is clear. And El Cajon is leading.”

At last week’s press conference, Wells called the filing “one of the most important days of my life,” emphasizing that the lawsuit comes at no cost to local taxpayers.

“This lawsuit costs our city zero dollars. Not a penny of taxpayer money,” Wells said. “The America First Policy Institute is funding the entire case. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and their commitment to the rule of law.”

California’s SB 54, often referred to as the “sanctuary state” law, has long been a lightning rod in the immigration debate. The statute was upheld in 2019 after a challenge during the first Trump administration failed in federal appellate court, with the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear the case.

“Prior legal action focused on whether the federal government could force California state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration policy,” Goble told ECM. “The 9th Circuit said no. We are challenging it on different grounds.”

According to Goble, those grounds center on local discretion and public safety.

“The lawsuit seeks to invalidate SB 54 because it takes away the discretion for us to remove people living in our city illegally who have been convicted of serious or violent crimes,” he said, “and to conduct welfare checks on every resident regardless of citizenship status.”

He pointed to the alleged trafficking tip as a catalyst.

“For me, this is about ensuring the safety of children,” Goble said. “The state is saying, ‘No, you cannot do that.’”