President Trump’s first day immigration action targeting ‘sanctuary cities’ puts Los Angeles’ access to federal funds at risk as Los Angeles recovers from devastating wildfires that destroyed large swathes of the Pacific Palisades There is a possibility.
The executive order signed by President Trump on Monday, shortly after being sworn into office, requires federal authorities to “ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions that seek to impede the lawful conduct of federal law enforcement operations are subject to legal restrictions.” We are instructing them to take measures to prevent this from happening.” Access to federal funds. ”
of orderThe bill, entitled “Protecting Americans from Invasion,” is one of several immigration crackdowns issued by the president, including a temporary or unauthorized birth of immigrant children in the country. Another directive is to suspend civil rights. Several states, including California, filed immediate legal challenges, arguing that birthright citizenship for children born in the United States is constitutionally protected.
In November, the Los Angeles City Council approved the Sanctuary City Act It prohibits city officials and employees from engaging in federal immigration enforcement. it was signed into law This was said by Mayor Karen Bass last month.
“Mayor Bass will work with anyone to bring federal resources to the city and opposes any policy that harms Los Angeles families,” Bass spokesman Zach Seidl said in an email. “Her focus now is to work with our federal partners to lead one of the most monumental recovery efforts in history.”
Nick Barnes-Batista, a spokesperson for City Councilman Hugo Sotomartinez, said in an email that the city will not lose any funding as a result of Trump’s executive order.
L.A.’s Sanctuary City Act, which Soto-Martinez proposed with two colleagues, “does not impede the work of federal law enforcement; rather, it prevents city resources and personnel from being used to cooperate with immigration authorities. “We do it,” Barnes-Batista said. “Simply put, the City of Los Angeles does not interfere with or assist the federal government’s immigration operations.”
The Sanctuary Cities Act, first proposed in 2023, would codify existing policies to protect immigrants and their families, enacted under an order from former Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The law states that city personnel and property may not be used to “investigate, designate, arrest, detain, remove, or detain any person” for immigration purposes.
Immigrant rights groups in Los Angeles and other cities are pushing for sanctuary city policies that limit cooperation with federal authorities in immigration enforcement. These are designed to build trust between immigrant communities, police, and other government agencies by allowing undocumented immigrants to report crimes and access needed services without fear of deportation. Masu.
President Trump says immigrants arepoisoning the blood of our nation,He vowed to call on the military to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history” and to ask Congress to pass legislation outlawing sanctuary cities across the country.
Trump too threatened to withhold fire aid to California If its leaders do not carry out his political policies. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans in Congress have said they want to attach conditions to providing federal aid to California fire victims, something President Trump has suggested. Leveraging Los Angeles Fire and Rescue Efforts as a bargaining chip to win Democratic support for his policy and budget priorities.
“In some ways, the city of Los Angeles has made it easier, because the city of Los Angeles requires a lot of money, and generally speaking, a lot of Democrats… I think you can see that they intend to withdraw.” I’m asking for help. ”
“Look, we’re going to protect Los Angeles,” President Trump said.
The Palisades fire, which broke out on the morning of January 7, destroyed more than 6,300 buildings and killed 11 people. It was 65% contained as of Tuesday. The Eaton Fire, which broke out near Altadena later that day, destroyed more than 9,400 buildings and killed 17 people. Currently it contains 89%.
Los Angeles city officials emphasized the importance of coordination with federal authorities as they undertake the largest disaster recovery effort in the city’s history.
“Federal disaster assistance is essential not only to our city’s recovery, but also to maintaining stability and resilience across our region,” Councilwoman Katie Yaroslavsky, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, said in a statement. said.
Yaroslavsky added: “The federal government has a strong interest in partnering with Los Angeles to ensure this recovery is successful, especially as we prepare to host global events like 2028. “I have,” he added. [Olympic] game. ”
President Trump’s actions on immigration will have a devastating impact on California, especially the Los Angeles area, which is recovering from the wildfires.
According to the Pew Research Center, California has more first-generation immigrants than any other state, with more than 62% of Los Angeles County’s nearly 10 million residents being foreign-born or having at least one immigrant parent. . About 800,000 people lost legal status in Los Angeles County in 2023, according to the USC Equity Institute.
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby and David Zahnizer contributed to this report.