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LA City Council officially adopts sanctuary city ordinance in advance of Trump's second term
Protester Herman Armando expresses his opposition as members with immigration advocacy groups demand the City Council enact an ordinance making Los Angeles a sanctuary city on Nov. 19, 2024.
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Damian Dovarganes
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AP
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The L.A. City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance to officially make Los Angeles a sanctuary city ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's second term.
The law, which will ultimately have to be signed by Mayor Karen Bass, directs city personnel and resources to not cooperate with immigration enforcement except under very limited circumstances.
The ordinance, approved on a 13-0 vote, was rushed by city officials in the wake of the re-election of Donald Trump, who has promised mass deportations.
"This law is about making Los Angeles, through law, a sanctuary city and ensuring that all Angelenos can interact with our government without the fear that Donald Trump's deportation squad is around the corner," said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.
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A 2017 executive directive by then-L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti gave similar directives to the city, but was not legally binding.
"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," said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
Trump has pledged to implement mass deportations in his second term
The City Council first approved a motion to draft this ordinance more than a year-and-a-half ago, but city officials, including Bass, fast-tracked it after the election.
The sanctuary ordinance is not the only protection for immigrants on the books. A decades-old special order prohibits LAPD officers from initiating contact with immigration enforcement over someone’s legal status. And a 2018 state law declared California a sanctuary state.
For more on how other areas of Southern California are responding to the threat of mass deportations, go here.
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