Los Angeles City Council approves sanctuary city ordinance 

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday voted to create an ordinance that would designate the city as a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants. 

During the voting session on Friday, the council unanimously approved the motion that would prohibit "city resources, property, or personnel from being utilized for any federal immigration enforcement, and related matters," according to a record of the vote on the City Council’s website. 

Additionally, the motion would prohibit the city from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status or engaging in an investigation related to their legal status, including those conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"For many people in Los Angeles who have been advocating for the city to become an official sanctuary city for many years, this is a long overdue process," said council member Nithya Raman, who was one of three members who introduced the motion.

"A significant number of residents in Los Angeles live in fear of being apprehended, detained, and deported by federal immigration authorities," Raman said.

In 2017, former Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an executive directive to protect the immigrant community. However, the policies were not written into law. 

The motion to designate California’s largest city as a sanctuary city was introduced in March of this year. The motion was then approved by the City Council’s Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee and the Public Safety Committee.

The city attorney now has 60 days to prepare a draft ordinance to officially make the city a sanctuary city.

According to a 2022 report from the University of Southern California, about one in three Angelenos are immigrants—about 3.6 million individuals. 

"One in ten Angelenos are undocumented, and this community needs to be able to trust the government and access critical services just like anyone else," councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez tweeted on Friday after the vote.