Oceanside City Council members are set to consider funds from a federal border security grant at their meeting Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The funds come from the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Stonegarden grant program, which allocates money to local municipalities in an effort to monitor points of entry into the United States.
The Oceanside Police Department would receive $150,000 from nearly $7.5 million allocated to San Diego County for disbursement, according to an Oceanside city staff report. The money would be applied to fiscal year 2024, with the grant covering Sept. 1, 2024, to May 31, 2027.
Operation Stonegarden funds go toward overtime for maritime patrols, land-based operations, maintenance and fuel, according to the staff report. If approved, it would be the 16th grant award for the Police Department under the program.
The Sheriff’s Office is receiving $4,583,030 of the county’s total $7,451,701, according to a Fiscal Year 2024 Operation Stonegarden Annual Budget Worksheet. Carlsbad and Escondido police departments are also included ($40,000 and $10,000 respectively).
The grant program supports “joint efforts to secure the United States’ borders along routes of ingress/egress to and from international borders, to include travel corridors in states bordering Mexico and Canada, as well as states and territories with international water borders,” a federal Operation Stonegarden Report issued in December 2024 explained. “Law enforcement agencies utilize their inherent law enforcement authorities to support the border security mission and do not receive any additional authority by participating.”
Although Operation Stonegarden does not extend federal immigration law enforcement authority to the Police Department, the grant program’s goals include the prevention of narcotics smuggling along the San Diego County coastline from Mission Bay north to the Orange County line, the city’s staff report stated.
“OPD will patrol coastal waters, Oceanside Harbor, and the landside in the vicinity of Coast Highway in the City of Oceanside by providing coastal observation for the prevention and interdiction of maritime incursions,” city staff members wrote. “OPD will also conduct interdiction operations on coastline roadways, harbors/marinas, and egress routes from the border.”
The Oceanside City Council meets Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m. for closed session and 5 p.m. for regular session at City Hall, 300 N. Coast Highway.
