LOS ANGELES—The City Council approved a package of motions Wednesday aimed at protecting legal and illegal immigrants in Los Angeles amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration and threats to so-called sanctuary cities.
In a 10–0 vote, council members instructed staff to report back on policies that would require businesses to notify the city of all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, as well as to inform workers of their rights ahead of potential raids.
Additionally, the council directed city staff to identify about $540,000 to maintain immigration legal services—which would cover a gap created when the Trump administration froze such funding.
Council members John Lee, Tim McOsker, Adrin Nazarian, Traci Park, and Nithya Raman were absent during the vote.
The city council approved two other motions on a 12–0 vote. Those motions required separate action after council members Monica Rodriguez and Ysabel Jurado introduced amendments. McOsker, Park, and Raman were absent for those votes.
Council members authorized staff to begin work on a citywide “Know Your Rights Campaign,” which is expected to inform L.A. immigrants, including illegal immigrants, about nondiscrimination protections, the city’s sanctuary policy, and other resources available to them.
In her amendment, Rodriguez requested that the Los Angeles Police Department report on its process for handling U-Visas. The visas are available to people who are victims of crimes such as domestic violence and sexual assault, among others. The LAPD is expected to address how many of the visas have been issued since 2017, as well as any barriers victims face in securing them.
Council members requested a report on ways to review compliance with the city’s “sanctuary” policy, which prohibits the use of city resources and personnel for federal immigration enforcement.
Jurado’s amendment requested an analysis of the California Values Act. Specifically, she said she hopes it will provide guidance to the LAPD—in response to reports that officers provided traffic control during ICE raids in the Pico Union area. Mayor Karen Bass’ office and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the operation in question involved federal officers serving a criminal warrant in a human trafficking investigation.
McDonnell also repeated his stance that LAPD does not participate in immigration enforcement, a policy that has been in place since 1979.
As part of the actions on Wednesday, the council also approved a resolution declaring the city’s position in favor of California increasing funding for deportation defense for legal and illegal immigrants.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez—who authored the motions alongside several of his colleagues—thanked city departments and immigration advocates who helped craft the proposals.
The council’s Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee on Tuesday approved a separate motion to provide nonprofit legal services at Los Angeles International Airport in preparation for a potential travel ban. It will be voted on by the full council at a future date.
In November 2024, the City Council and Mayor Karen Bass formally established Los Angeles as a “sanctuary city.”
While the city already had certain policies in place to prevent departments from working with ICE, the designation formally created a policy that no city staff or resources can be used to collaborate with federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant.
In his first week in office, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders targeting illegal immigrants and sanctuary cities such as L.A., Chicago, and other Democrat-led jurisdictions, authorizing ICE enforcement in schools and churches, among other places.
The president has threatened to cut federal funds for sanctuary cities if they do not aid in ICE enforcement.
