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LA releases sanctuary city ordinance ahead of second Trump term
Protestors want the city council to codify protections for undocumented immigrants by passing an ordinance.
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Jacob Margolis
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LAist
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Topline:
L.A. officials released a sanctuary city ordinance for the City Council to consider ahead of a second Trump administration.
Mayor Karen Bass said she and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto worked with immigrants’ rights groups to prepare it.
"This moment demands urgency. Immigrant protections make our communities stronger and our city better," Bass said in a statement.
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Why now: President-elect Donald Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation campaign across the country during his term. This L.A. ordinance would prohibit city resources and staff from investigating or arresting anyone in order to enforce federal immigration law, participating in immigration enforcement or providing access to information about immigration status.
How'd we get here: More than a year-and-a-half ago the City Council approved a motion to draft this ordinance within 60 days. Protesters marched in the streets this weekend demanding L.A. take action to become a sanctuary city.
City council members react: Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez said in a statement that he would waive the ordinance's consideration by the Civil Rights and Immigration Committee so it can be voted on more quickly by the full City Council.
"As the son of immigrants in a city built by immigrants, I refuse to stand back while Donald Trump tries to deport our neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers," he said.
For more: You can read the ordinance language here.
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