Written by Urvi Sakurikar
Last week, while on a call with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria addressed concerns about border policy.
While on the call, Mayor Gloria demanded more federal resources for asylum seekers to reach the United States and asked for the southwest border to be opened to nonessential travel.
In comparison to previous mayors, Gloria has shown intentions to reach further into border policy and immigration.
According to former Mayor and current President of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Jerry Sanders, “immigration and asylum [are] more difficult or politically risky for a mayor to take on.”
Although it is not uncommon for San Diego officials to work with their Tijuana counterparts, it is inappropriate and a waste of time for Mayor Gloria to speak on federal issues such as immigration policy, especially considering that the city of San Diego is not even on the border of Mexico.
Due to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns, the people of San Diego are more in need of effective leadership than ever.
For Mayor Gloria to prioritize asylum seekers and illegal immigrants over his own people is extremely irresponsible and a misuse of his power as mayor.
Gloria is in charge of the city of San Diego, not the whole of the United States, or even the whole of California. Therefore, he should focus on issues that are specific to San Diego and make those his only priority.
Photo by K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune
