3 council members propose making LA a ‘sanctuary city’

By City News Service

Los Angeles would become a “sanctuary city” — officially barring the use of any municipal resources, property or personnel from being used for federal immigration enforcement — under legislation proposed Tuesday by three City Council members.

Council members Eunisses Hernandez, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez put forward the proposal, which is the first step toward creating an ordinance “that would permanently enshrine sanctuary policies into municipal law,” Hernandez’s office said.

“Los Angeles is a city of immigrants,” Hernandez said in a statement. “As the daughter of two Mexican immigrants myself, I know how important and overdue these protections are to our community members.

“Symbolic gestures are not enough,” she added. “Internal policies that can be changed from one day to the next are not enough. Our undocumented residents deserve safety and security.

It is long past time for Los Angeles to permanently codify protections for our undocumented community members into city law.”

The council previously passed a symbolic resolution declaring Los Angeles a “City of Sanctuary,” but the motion put forth Tuesday would codify sanctuary policies into municipal law.

Specifically, the motion would also direct the city to prohibit inquiring about or collecting information about an individual’s immigration status; engaging in investigation or enforcement related to an individual’s

See ‘Sanctuary city’ Page 27