Los Angeles enacts ordinance to thwart Trump’s mass deportation plan
The council’s decision follows President-elect Donald Trump’s confirmation that he is ready to declare a national emergency to facilitate widespread deportations.
The Los Angeles City Council has approved an ordinance to prevent the utilization of city resources and personnel for federal immigration enforcement following President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Trump did not provide detailed plans, but the promise to initiate mass deportations was a significant part of his 2024 campaign strategy. His inauguration is just two months away.
The ordinance will prohibit city personnel from engaging in immigration enforcement activities or providing federal immigration agents with access to information regarding individuals’ immigration status.
City personnel are also not allowed to respond to administrative warrants or requests to detain, transfer, or inform federal immigration agents about an undocumented immigrant’s status or release.
The Los Angeles County Republican Party (LAGOP) has condemned the ordinance, stating that the city should prioritize public safety over protecting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
California also has similar safeguards in place. Former California Governor Jerry Brown signed sanctuary state legislation in 2017 to prevent police from inquiring about immigration status or participating in federal immigration enforcement.
At the time, President Trump attempted to withhold funding from so-called sanctuary cities and favor cities willing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement for grants.
The Trump transition team has not responded immediately to requests for comments.
Contributions to this report were made by Jack Phillips and the Associated Press.