The Los Angeles City Council celebrated passing the Sanctuary City Ordinance on Tuesday, but it may have been more symbolic because California’s sanctuary state law already enforces protections for immigrants.
In fact, Senate Bill 54, signed into law in 2017, prohibits California cities and counties from cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in immigration enforcement and deportation, and its author He is then-state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who is leaving the city. After losing re-election, he took a job on the city council.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta told NBCLA on Tuesday that the Los Angeles City Council’s sanctuary city ordinance is “a little bit of a no-brainer, a little bit of an overlap.”
Bonta also emphasized that there are exceptions to sanctuary state laws, such as for undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
If a person in custody is convicted of a felony or violent felony, they may also be held for deportation.
Tom Homan, President-elect Trump’s incoming border chief and former director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said he is not asking cities or states to help with immigration plans, but he has sent ICE agents to neighborhoods. He said he was ready to send him. Arresting illegal immigrants is more dangerous and can cause disruption to the community.
“If ICE wants to go back into communities and enforce immigration laws, it may do so,” the attorney general said.
Bonta said he believes any effort toward mass deportation, especially one that involves the use of the military, will backfire.
“I don’t think they have the funds or the manpower, but you do it at your own risk,” Bonta said.
But not all cities and counties agree with state officials. Some Southern California officials, including Newport Beach city leaders and the Orange County sheriff, have criticized the state law, saying the mandate would limit immigration enforcement.
Newport Beach’s mayor on Monday renewed his condemnation of the state’s protection policies after a group of migrants on a boat were detained outside Newport Beach.
Newport Beach Mayor William O’Neill said the U.S. Coast Guard spotted the 34-foot vessel “acting erratically” one mile west of Newport Beach last Thursday evening, attempting to enter the country illegally. The ship, which had 21 people on board, was stopped.
O’Neill said most of the people on the boat were Mexican, but there were also one Russian and two Uzbek nationals.
“It is clearly an abnormal situation, or at least should be, that there are people illegally entering our country from Uzbekistan through Mexico on boats off the coast of Orange County,” Newport Beach’s mayor said in a social media post. ” he said in a social media post.
“SB54 severely limits the extent to which local law enforcement agencies can cooperate with federal authorities to enforce immigration laws,” O’Neal said, adding that he and the Newport Beach City Council unanimously approved the same in 2017. He explained his reasons for opposing the bill.
