The Los Angeles City Council will vote on Wednesday, March 26, on a package of motions aimed at protecting Los Angeles migrants amid a federal immigration crackdown and threats to so-called sanctuary cities.
In February, City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced five motions to support the migrant community. One motion would explore policies to mandate that businesses report all Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity to the city, and inform workers of their rights ahead of potential raids.
A second motion seeks to establish a citywide “Know Your Rights Campaign” to inform L.A. migrants about nondiscrimination protections, the city’s sanctuary policy, and other resources available to them.
The third motion is a resolution that would declare the city’s position in favor of California increasing funding for deportation defense. A fourth motion on Wednesday’s agenda would authorize the city to identify about half-billion dollars to maintain immigration legal services, cover a gap created when the Trump Administration froze such funding.
The council members’ fifth motion, which seeks to provide nonprofit legal services at Los Angeles International Airport in preparation for a potential travel ban, was unanimously approved by the council’s Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee on Tuesday. It will be considered by the full City Council at a future date.
If approved, the items would reaffirm the city’s commitment to protecting its migrant community from possible deportation. In November 2024, the City Council and Mayor Karen Bass formally established Los Angeles as a “sanctuary city.”
While the city already had certain policies in place to prevent departments from working with ICE, the designation formally created a policy that no city staff or resources can be used to collaborate with federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant.
In his first week in office, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders targeting immigrants and sanctuary cities such as L.A., Chicago and other Democrat-led jurisdictions, authorizing ICE enforcement in schools and churches, among other places.
The president has threatened to cut federal funds for sanctuary cities if they do not aid in ICE enforcement, as well.
Trump has previously called “illegal immigration an invasion of our country,” and vowed to carry out his deportation plans regardless of cost.
“It’s not a question of a price tag,” Trump told NBC News shortly after his election. “It’s not — really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”
Trump insisted that voters — including Latinos — support his call for legal immigration only.
“They want to have borders,” Trump previously said. “And they like people coming in, but they have to come in with love for the country. They have to come in legally.”