The Los Angeles City Council officially passed a “sanctuary city” ordinance on December 4, which prohibits any resources or personnel from assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
The council approved the ordinance with a vote of 12 in favor and 0 against, including emergency provisions. This means the ordinance will come into effect within 10 days of being signed by Mayor Karen Bass.
Prior to this, President-elect Trump had indicated his intention to declare a national emergency to initiate large-scale deportations. The council revised the ordinance on November 19 to align with California’s “sanctuary state” law, also known as SB 54, or the “California Values Act”, passed in 2017.
However, the council made an exception, allowing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to assist federal immigration officials in cases involving serious crimes. For instance, the LAPD can communicate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in situations where undocumented immigrants have been convicted of violent felonies and have re-entered the country after deportation. According to city officials, this procedure has been in line with LAPD practices and has been used twice since 2018.
Elected officials celebrated the new ordinance, seeing it as providing protection for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and prohibiting the direct or indirect sharing of data with federal immigration authorities. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez stated, “We are sending a very clear message that the City of Los Angeles will not cooperate with ICE in any way.”
Los Angeles County Republicans criticized the sanctuary city ordinance, stating, “A country without secure borders is not a country at all.” In a statement on social media, Republicans mentioned, “Crimes such as DUI, robbery, sexual assault, assault, or murder should not go unpunished. Criminals should not receive generous protection from hard-working taxpayers.”
Historically, Los Angeles has followed specific policies to protect undocumented immigrants. For example, the Los Angeles Police Department has adhered to Special Order 40 implemented in 1979, which prohibits officers from inquiring about immigration status or making arrests based on immigration status. Additionally, the new police chief, Jim McDonnell, pledged not to assist in deportations or determining individuals’ immigration status.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education passed a resolution in November reaffirming its status as a “sanctuary school district.” Furthermore, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved a motion to establish a working group to track the evolving impacts of federal immigration policies. The committee will also consider establishing an immigration affairs department.
With the passage of the new ordinance, Los Angeles joins over ten cities across the U.S. with similar sanctuary provisions.