Los Angeles Adopts ‘Sanctuary’ Status Amidst Looming Immigration Standoff

Los Angeles, the United States’ second-largest city, is positioning itself for a potential conflict with President-elect Donald Trump concerning immigration. On Tuesday, the city council approved a “sanctuary city” ordinance, which aims to prevent the use of local resources to assist federal immigration authorities. The public school system in Los Angeles similarly reaffirmed its status as a “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ students through a series of emergency resolutions. Trump, scheduled to be sworn into office in two months, has pledged extensive deportations upon his return to the White House. Tom Homan, his designated “border czar,” has previously exhorted sanctuary cities to “get the hell out of the way” of federal immigration crackdowns. The phrase “sanctuary city” has been widely used in the US for over ten years to characterize localities that restrict their cooperation with federal immigration authorities. As it is not a formal legal term, municipalities have adopted diverse methods to establish themselves as “sanctuaries,” including embedding policies in legislation or modifying local policing procedures. The city council’s sanctuary city ordinance, intended to codify a 2019 executive order into municipal law, forbids the utilization of city resources for immigration enforcement, encompassing cooperation with federal immigration agents, as reported by NBC News Los Angeles. Council member Nithya Raman stated to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, prior to the vote, that the ordinance will “prevent federal immigration enforcement from being able to access city facilities or to use city resources in the pursuit of immigration enforcement”. Furthermore, it will forbid certain data sharing between immigration authorities and city officials and agencies. The ordinance is slated to take effect once Mayor Karen Bass has signed it. Officials in several other cities, such as Boston and New York City, have made comparable pledges that local resources would not be assigned to assist with federal immigration enforcement matters. Since Trump’s initial election, numerous school districts have designated themselves as “sanctuaries” or “safe havens” to assure students they will not face deportation. The Los Angeles school district, situated approximately 140 miles (225km) from the nation’s southern border with Mexico, also approved a series of emergency resolutions specifically designed to counter what the board’s president, Jackie Goldberg, has characterized as an anti-immigrant and LGBTQ sentiment emanating from the incoming president. In addition to reiterating a sanctuary policy for students and families within the school district, the resolution also mandates training for teachers and staff regarding appropriate communication with immigration authorities. Ahead of the resolution’s approval, she stated in remarks cited by the LA Times, “We’re not going to be running in fear.” She added, “We’re going to fight you, every inch of the way.” This action is anticipated to place the city in direct opposition to the incoming Trump administration, which has pledged to initiate a large-scale mass deportation effort from the outset of its term. Tom Homan, Trump’s selected “border czar” and former acting director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has consistently asserted that “sanctuary” city designations would not impede the administration’s pursuit of its immigration policy objectives. During an 11 November interview with Fox, Homan declared, “nothing will stop us from deporting migrant criminals.” He further stated, “We’re going to do the job with you, or without you.”