LA bans city employees from federal immigration jobs

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Los Angeles city employees cannot hold second jobs with federal immigration enforcement agencies.

City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who represents District 7, introduced the motion to establish the policy, which was unanimously approved by the council on Wednesday, with one member absent.

“Families can trust the public servants that are employed with the city of Los Angeles to not be engaged in other employment activities that will compromise their work and their role and the level of trust that we need to exemplify here in this city,” Rodriguez said during the press conference.

When The LA Local asked whether there was any evidence that city employees had been moonlighting in immigration raids, Rodriguez and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto both said no. But they emphasized that the city needed to remain clear about such boundaries with federal agencies that have been rapidly recruiting to deliver on the federal government’s deportation promises.

Rodriguez first introduced the bill late last year after the Trump administration sent federal immigration agents to conduct raids and eventually deployed troops to quell widespread protests in Los Angeles.

During a press conference held at City Hall before the vote, Rodriguez said that the policy ensures city employees stay focused on LA’s priorities and values. She said the federal government’s aggressive immigration enforcement conflicts with the responsibilities of the city’s public servants.

“Our employees are not going to serve dual masters,” Rodriguez said. “That is a critical step to building back whatever trust may have been lost in the last 12 months. We stand behind our immigrant communities. We stand behind the fact that local law enforcement is here to ensure public safety.”

The motion amends the city’s Municipal Code, building on an exemption for city employees taking outside jobs without prior approval from their department’s administrators. The previous code did not address whether city employees could work for federal immigration agencies, including law enforcement and administrative work.

Feldstein Soto, who joined Rodriguez at City Hall before the vote, said that Angelenos deserve to seek services from any city department with confidence that the person behind the counter “does not have an off-duty employer whose job it is to deport you or your family. And this ordinance ensures that’s the case.”

The policy applies to anyone working for the city full or part-time, as well as appointed officers and retirees returning for short-term work. It bars them from compensated work investigating, enforcing or assisting in civil immigration enforcement outside of their city employment.

Feldstein Soto said employees who violate the policy would face discipline and could be terminated.

Similar policies have been introduced in other jurisdictions, including one in February in the California State Legislature by State Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez and Sen. Maria Elena Durazo. Rodriguez’s measure is among the first adopted by a city council in the nation. She said it is unique because it applies to all jobs, while some have focused only on restricting law enforcement employees.

“We’re making history here in the city of Los Angeles that is setting an excellent example for other communities and other cities to follow across the nation,” Rodriguez said.