California Democrats are facing accusations that the state’s sanctuary policies are leaving vulnerable migrant children unchecked after California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office warned that local police welfare visits on unaccompanied minors using information from federal authorities could violate state law.The warning from Bonta has become a flashpoint in a broader lawsuit brought by the City of El Cajon against California's sanctuary state policies.City officials, like Mayor Bill Wells and City Councilman Steve Goble, argue that the state is putting law enforcement in an impossible position, such as forcing them to make a determination on whether to check on potentially vulnerable children flagged by federal immigration authorities and risk violating state law, or leave the vulnerable unaccompanied minors unchecked.Goble told Fox News Digital he was informed during a February 2025 meeting with San Diego-area Homeland Security officials that federal authorities had a list of unaccompanied migrant children, including 52 with addresses in El Cajon.
He said federal officials asked whether local police could help "ensure these kids are safe" through welfare checks, prompting Goble to seek guidance from Bonta’s office before dispatching officers.I'M A MAYOR TRYING TO FOLLOW LAW BUT CALIFORNIA IS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR COPS"It’s kind of hard to imagine why they’re choosing this hill to die on," Wells told Fox News Digital."What they basically want to say is, 'Because our narrative is so important, and protecting illegal aliens is so important, that, yeah, if a few kids get sex trafficked along the way — you know, you're just making this up.
You're just using this as a way.' I mean, these are real people.These are real children.
I think it's an incredibly insensitive argument."California's sanctuary state policies have come under legal scrutiny by one Southern California town that says it has unaccompanied minors needing to be checked on, but law enfor...