Wells, who decried illegal immigration during his recent unsuccessful attempt to unseat Congressional Rep. Sara Jacobs, announced on social media that his resolution before the council had failed 3-2.

Immigration activists gathered outside El Cajon City Hall Tuesday ahead of a meeting in which the city council voted against a resolution that would have allowed local law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration policies.

A divided El Cajon City Council on Tuesday declined to pass dueling resolutions concerning whether local police should assist federal officials in apprehending undocumented immigrants. The council members voted on the original resolution brought by Mayor Bill Wells that called for such police assistance,