City Council Votes To Establish Los Angeles As A ‘Sanctuary City’

For Immediate Release: November 19, 2024

Today, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to establish the City of Los Angeles as a “Sanctuary City” and prohibit any City resources, including property or personnel, from being utilized for any immigration enforcement. The approved ordinance, borne from a motion introduced by Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, and Hugo Soto-Martinez and adopted unanimously in 2023, comes on the heels of the election of Donald J. Trump, who has expressed broad support for mass deportations across the country.

The City of Los Angeles is home to more than 1.35 million immigrants, comprising over 34 percent of the city’s population. In fact, a majority of school children in the Los Angeles metro area, including both U.S. citizens and non-citizens, have at least one immigrant parent. While the City Council had previously passed a resolution declaring Los Angeles a “City of Sanctuary” in 2017, no sanctuary policies were codified into municipal law. The City’s current relationship with federal immigration agencies is shaped 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 yet to be enshrined as permanent protections for Los Angeles immigrants. 

The newly adopted ordinance permanently enshrines sanctuary policies into municipal law and prohibits the use of City resources, including property and personnel, from being utilized for immigration enforcement or to cooperate with federal immigration agents engaged in immigration enforcement. Critically, the Ordinance also prohibits the direct and indirect sharing of data with federal immigration authorities – an important gap to close in our city’s protections for immigrants. 

“I came to this country with my mother as an immigrant when I was six years old, arriving in the United States because we sought a better life, and I am so grateful for the opportunities this country has given me and my family,” said Councilmember Raman. “Immigrants make up the very fabric of Los Angeles and they deserve to feel safe and protected in the city they call home, no matter who is in power. Prohibiting the use of City resources for federal immigration enforcement shouldn’t depend only on executive actions that could be overturned by a future Mayor or Police Chief. This is common sense policy for LA.” 

“I am who I am today because of immigrants—people like my parents, extended family, and the community who raised me,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “The same is true for Los Angeles, a city built on the dreams and labor of generations of immigrants. We will not allow hateful rhetoric or destructive policies to tear families apart or dim the light of their contributions. Today, we declare to the nation that Los Angeles thrives because of immigrants, and we are better because of their work and contributions.”

“More than one out of three people who live in Los Angeles, including my own parents, are immigrants. One in ten are undocumented,” said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.  “We refuse to stand by and let Donald Trump deport our neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers.”

“Immigrants contribute vastly to the social and economic fabric of the City of Los Angeles and this nation,” said Alexandra Morales, Director of Organizing, Policy and Advocacy at the Central American Resource Center – Los Angeles (CARECEN-LA). “This Sanctuary motion acknowledges that we must continue to do everything possible to defend, protect and recognize immigrant Angelenos. Today, we stand as a united front with our partners to keep ICE out of LA and further strengthen our commitment to our immigrant communities.”

“We applaud the Councilmembers who voted today in support of a Sanctuary Ordinance that will defend immigrant Angelenos,” said Shiu-Ming Cheer, Deputy Director at the California Immigrant Policy Center. “With this important step, Los Angeles will no longer support the unjust and racist immigration detention and deportation system. Local resources should be put into supporting immigrant families, not tearing them apart.”

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