Los Angeles would become a sanctuary city, officially prohibiting the use of city resources, property or personnel for federal immigration enforcement, according to a proposal filed Tuesday by three city council members.
Council members Eunisses Hernández, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martínez presented the proposal, which is the first step toward creating an ordinance “that would enshrine the policies of the sanctuary permanently into law,” the office said. of Hernandez.
“Los Angeles is a city of immigrants,” Hernandez said in a statement. As the daughter of two Mexican immigrants, I know how important and outdated these protections are for members of our community. Symbolic gestures are not enough,” she added.
“Internal policies that can be changed overnight are not enough. Our undocumented residents deserve safety. It’s time for Los Angeles to permanently codify protections for our undocumented community members in the city.”
The council previously passed a symbolic resolution declaring Los Angeles a “sanctuary city,” but the motion tabled Tuesday would codify the sanctuary’s policies into municipal law.
Specifically, the motion would also direct the city to prohibit requesting or collecting information about an individual’s immigration status; participate in an investigation or enforce the law relating to each individual’s immigration status; provide immigration authorities with access to any information in non-public areas, including prisons, without a valid search or arrest warrant; and provide access to city databases or any person’s personal information or other data to federal immigration authorities.
The motion, if approved by council, would direct the city to begin preparing such an ordinance.
In a statement, Hernandez’s office said, ‘The city’s current relationship with federal immigration agencies is determined by an executive directive issued by former Mayor Eric Garcetti and internal LAPD policies.
These policies are subject to change under future administrations and have not yet been enshrined as permanent protections for immigrants to Los Angeles.”
The measure’s other co-sponsors echoed Hernandez’s thoughts.
“Immigrants are the very fabric of this city,” Raman said. “In prohibiting the use of city resources for federal immigration, enforcement should not rely solely on executive actions that could be overridden by a future mayor or leader. These are fundamental protections that should be enshrined in our laws in the future.
“More than one in three people who live in Los Angeles, including my own parents, are immigrants. One in 10 are undocumented. This is an important and long overdue step to codify immigrant protections undocumented in the law so we can finally make Los Angeles a true sanctuary city,” Soto-Martinez said.