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LA City Council says yes to being a sanctuary city
The Los Angeles City Council approves sanctuary status as President-elect Donald Trump pledges for mass deportations across the country.
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously, 12-0, on Wednesday to pass the Sanctuary City Ordinance, a measure designed to protect undocumented immigrants by restricting city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: LA finalizes ‘Sanctuary City’ ordinance
The ordinance has sparked mixed reactions, even among those it aims to protect.
Eduardo Carmona, a DACA recipient brought to the United States when he was 8 years old, is among those who are skeptical about the ordinance. Despite spending decades trying to obtain legal status, Carmona says he doesn’t see the measure as a solution.
"I’m just as American as anybody else… except on paper," Carmona said.
Rather than celebrating the council’s decision, Carmona calls it a "waste of time." He argues that the ordinance’s potential consequences could outweigh its benefits.
"The federal government does not need the cooperation of the city to enforce the policies that they’re planning to pursue," he explained. "They’re running the risk of losing federal funding, which would ultimately hurt the citizens of this city."
Mary David, a legal analyst, sees the ordinance in a different light.
She argued that it strengthens trust between local law enforcement and the immigrant community, encouraging undocumented residents to report crimes without fear of deportation.
"We don’t want people to feel like they are silenced, that they don’t have help out there. Law enforcement has worked very hard to build relationships with immigrant communities, and we don’t want that to be disrupted," David said.
She also pointed out that the ordinance formalizes protections that have been in place since LA’s initial sanctuary city policies were introduced in 2019. At that time, the Trump administration’s attempts to withhold federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions were struck down by the courts. However, she notes that the judicial landscape has shifted, raising questions about potential legal challenges to the new ordinance.
While the ordinance prohibits city officials from sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Carmona sees it as largely symbolic. "As opposed to asking for sanctuary, I want them to encourage both parties to come together for legislation," he says, advocating for broader, bipartisan immigration reform.
The Sanctuary City Ordinance now awaits Mayor Karen Bass’s signature.