LA mayor issues order she says will ‘bolster’ city response to immigration enforcement

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an order Friday in response to the surge in federal immigration enforcement — including making sure officials know how to respond to federal immigration enforcement at city properties or facilities.

“We are a proud city of immigrants, and with the Trump administration signaling that they will ratchet up their chaotic approach, I’m making sure we deploy every resource and tool available within the city to ensure that we are supporting immigrant communities,” Bass said in a statement accompanying the order.

“We will continue pursuing legal relief through the courts, and I am issuing orders to all general managers to bolster their response and support for immigrant communities. I will never accept these unlawful and chaotic raids and will continue to do all that I can to defend the rights of the people of Los Angeles.”

Department of Homeland Security leaders said Bass is vilifying federal officers while their safety is under threat.

Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a statement that officers had experienced a steep increase in assaults, but, “Sanctuary politicians like Karen Bass are attempting to demonize law enforcement for doing their job.”

“Under Secretary Noem, we are delivering on President Trump's and the American people's mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe. Secretary Noem’s message is clear: DHS and its components will continue to enforce the law, relentless and unapologetic, every day in greater Los Angeles,” she added.

What did the mayor order?

Bass ordered all city departments to do the following:

• Ensure all city employees and contracts know how to follow two city policies:
  
  • One from December that bans any city resources, staff, property and data from being used to support federal immigration enforcement.
  • And another from the 1970s that bans city officers from starting police action where the only objective is to determine someone’s immigration status.
• Make sure staff and contractors know how to respond to federal immigration enforcement activities on city property or facilities.
• Report “any federal immigration enforcement activity on City properties or facilities.”
• “Recommend services or programs that can support families impacted by federal immigrant enforcement actions.”
• Distribute information on “city services and assistance programs for families impacted by federal enforcement actions through Spanish and other language media.”

What else did she direct?

Bass also ordered the following:

• The adding of “Know Your Rights” information to the city’s 311 hotline, “covering the basic legal rights of individuals regardless of status and ways to connect residents with city departments that offer services, information or training.”
• The creation of a working group led by the L.A. Police Department “to work with immigrant rights organizations and community leaders to solicit feedback on federal enforcement actions and the city’s response.”
• The filing of a federal public records request to ICE for “the dates and locations of all enforcement activities in Los Angeles, the identities of individuals and reason(s) they were arrested or detained, and policies governing both federal officers’ use of badges and other forms of identification as well as masks and other methods that obscure identification.”

A copy of the mayor’s order is available here.

What did she say about it?

“Last month, ICE initiated large-scale immigration enforcement operations across Los Angeles,” Bass’ order states. “These operations have heightened fears, torn apart families, disrupted the immigrant community, and interfered with businesses and day to day life across the city. These enforcement actions have deterred city residents from attending school and church, seeking city services, accessing healthcare, and going to work.”

The order comes after L.A. and other cities in the region asked a judge to add them to a lawsuit seeking court orders limiting federal immigration enforcement. The other cities are Pasadena, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pico Rivera, Montebello, Monterey Park and West Hollywood.