The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday is expected to finalize the language and adopt a “sanctuary city” ordinance, prohibiting resources or personnel from being used to help federal enforcement of immigration laws.
Council members voted 13-0 Nov. 19 in favor of the proposed ordinance, but made some changes, requiring a second vote before it can be enacted. Elected officials touted such an ordinance would codify protections for migrants in the country illegally and close a gap in past policies by prohibiting the direct or indirect sharing of data with federal immigration authorities.
The City Council is slated to approve the ordinance with an urgency clause, meaning it would go into effect within 10 days of being signed by Mayor Karen Bass.
“We have been a pro-immigrant city for a number of years, we know that there is a target on our back from this president-elect, and what we are doing here is we are hardening our defenses,” Councilman Bob Blumenfield said on Nov. 19. “We are codifying our good policies on protecting immigrants.”
The city’s action came two weeks after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election following a campaign in which he stressed border security and promised to deport people who are in the United States illegally.
Representatives for the president-elect did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the Los Angeles County Republican Party issued the following statement:
“A country without secure borders isn’t a country at all. So-called ‘sanctuary’ cities and states sound warm and fuzzy, but the protections they offer aren’t for abuelas getting ice cream, they’re for people who’ve entered the country illegally and committed additional crimes. Whether drunk driving, robbery, sexual violence, assault or murder, none of those should go unpunished. Perpetrators should definitely not be protected by the largesse taken from hard-working taxpayers.”
For years, Los Angeles has upheld certain policies protecting migrants, but the passage of the sanctuary ordinance formally codifies them.
In part, the ordinance enshrines protections issued by former Mayor Eric Garcetti during the first Trump administration. Additionally, the council adopted changes to the language so it aligned with California’s “sanctuary state” law, SB 54, the California Values Act of 2017.
The Los Angeles Police Department also complies with its Special Order 40, established in 1979, which mandates that its officers not inquire about immigration status or make arrests related to a migrant’s legal status.
Though, as part of the council’s deliberations, they did carve out an exception for LAPD to assist federal immigration officers for cases involving serious offenses. It would allow police to communicate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a migrant convicted of a violent felony, deported but returns to the United States — which is the LAPD’s current procedure.
City officials noted it has been invoked twice since 2018.
Tom Homan, tapped to be Trump’s “border czar” has previously addressed sanctuary jurisdictions, using New York City as an example and noting that, “If we can’t get assistance from New York City, we may have to double the number of agents we send to New York City. Because we’re going to do the job with you or without you.”
Homan also suggested Trump withhold federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions.
In related action, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education adopted a resolution reaffirming its previous 2017 declaration as a “sanctuary district.” The district’s resolution calls for training of teachers and staff about how they should respond if approached by federal immigration authorities.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved a motion to establish a task force to monitor the impact of changing federal immigration policies. They may also establish a Department of Immigration Affairs.
Other measures include increased mental health support for immigrants, securing ongoing funding for immigration support offices and beginning an awareness campaign.
