The Los Angeles City Council made a historic move on Friday, approving a motion that would turn it into a sanctuary city for immigrants. The motion received the nod from both the council’s Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging, and Disability Committee and the Public Safety Committee. As per the directive, the City Attorney is required to draft an ordinance within two months aimed at preventing the use of any city resource, property, or personnel for federal immigration enforcement. The provision also calls for the severing of city cooperation with federal immigration authorities, particularly in matters that relate to immigration enforcement.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who co-sponsored the motion alongside council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez, expressed her gratitude to immigrants’ rights advocates, attorneys, and organizations for their unwavering commitment to protecting the immigrant community. Raman noted that Los Angeles is home to millions of immigrants, with many school children having at least one immigrant parent. “A significant number of residents in Los Angeles live in fear of being apprehended, detained, and deported by federal immigration authorities,” Raman added.
The move is seen as a response to the alarming rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric and harmful legislation from the federal government aimed at instilling fear in the immigrant community. Although Los Angeles introduced an executive directive in 2019 to safeguard the immigrant community, it lacked the permanence of a city law, according to Raman. However, Friday’s move, which is backed by a comprehensive and codified plan, is expected to provide more definitive protections for immigrants.
By passing the motion in a 12-0 vote, with Bob Blumenfield and John Lee absent, the City Council has reaffirmed its commitment to immigrant communities. According to Soto-Martinez, in recent years, there has been a lot of hateful rhetoric and harmful legislation coming out of Washington, Florida, and Texas meant to build distrust between the immigrant community and the government. Nevertheless, he noted that the motion sent a clear message that the City of Los Angeles should be viewed as an entity that immigrants can trust and turn to for help.
The motion also requires the City’s Chief Legislative Analyst, Civil and Human Rights, Equity Department, and City Administrative Officer to report back with recommendations and progress reports aimed at ensuring that the City is on track to achieve its official status as a sanctuary city for immigrants.
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