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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed her goal to establish Los Angeles as a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants before President-elect Trump’s return to the White House.
Bass, who has led the city since December 2022, expressed support for passing the ordinance by year’s end during a KNX News interview. Her stance aligns with other Democrats opposing Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
The Democratic mayor admitted she didn’t realize Los Angeles wasn’t already a sanctuary city and emphasized the need to establish this status before Trump returns to the White House in January.
“I was actually surprised about that because I thought we were a sanctuary city for years,” Bass told KNX. “So what the difference is is the policies that were put in place were not permanent policies. So I imagine that the council will be voting on sanctuary cities hopefully very, very soon… We will stand with the immigrant community and whatever policy they put forward, we will make sure that people in Los Angeles are not hurt and families are not separated.”
“I thought we were a sanctuary city for years,” @MayorOfLA told KNX. “So what the difference is is the policies that were put in place were not permanent policies”
How on earth did LA elect such an inept, clueless person?
LA, we need a REAL leader, ASAP! Karen’s gotta go.
— KarenBassProgressReport (@KBassProgReport) November 12, 2024
Trump, who won decisively on Election Day, has proposed rigid immigration policies, including finishing the border wall, reinstating the Remain in Mexico program, and expanding Border Patrol. He also pledged to implement the “largest deportation program in American history” and end birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants. His transition team has appointed immigration hardliners to key roles, with Tom Homan as border czar, Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy, and reportedly Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Several prominent Democratic governors, seen as potential 2028 presidential contenders, have openly opposed Trump’s immigration agenda. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to keep his state a sanctuary for illegal migrants and vowed legal action if federal funds were withheld. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey stated that state police would not support Trump’s deportation efforts, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session to “Trump-proof” state policies.
California is ready to fight.
I just called an emergency special session to help bolster our legal resources and protect our state against any unlawful actions by the incoming Trump Administration.
Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate… pic.twitter.com/fIBPKsehot
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 7, 2024
A proposal to make Los Angeles a sanctuary city, introduced by council members Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martinez, and Eunisses Hernandez, has stalled for over a year despite being submitted long before the presidential election. This measure would prevent city employees and resources from aiding federal immigration enforcement.
However, the necessity of a new sanctuary law is debated, as Los Angeles law enforcement already declines to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and California’s state laws protect undocumented immigrants. In 2017, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an order affirming non-cooperation with ICE, and the LAPD has avoided ICE detainer requests since 2014, adhering to a policy of not inquiring about immigration status. California has been a sanctuary state since January 2014, per the Center for Immigration Studies, following state legislation allowing ICE detainers to be honored only in limited situations.
“At its core, a sanctuary policy is a prohibition on information-sharing between local and federal law enforcement, for the benefit of criminals who have no authority to be in the United States,” Jon Feere, the director of investigations for CIS, said to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Last year, Los Angeles complained about a lack of notification from Texas when Gov. Abbott sent them buses of illegal aliens. Meanwhile, the entire State of California provides no notification to ICE when their officials release convicted illegal alien criminals back into our communities. More communication is better if public safety is the goal.”
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