The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted unanimously on a series of measures intended to protect immigrants amid a crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The motions proposed by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, 13th District, require businesses to report to the city any activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, create a “know your rights” campaign to educate Angelenos and support state funding for legal defenses against deportations. Additional immigration-related measures are still working their way through the city’s legislative process.
In the first three months of his second term, Trump and his allies have targeted immigration and migrants from a variety of angles, reducing support for those who need help and deporting many.
One prominent incident involved a Laguna Niguel couple who had been in the U.S. for 35 years, raising three children who are U.S. citizens. Despite neither having a criminal record, they were detained and deported to Colombia.
One protester near City Hall pointed out to KTLA’s Omar Lewis that even in California, where the state and many local governments declared themselves sanctuaries for migrants, many face an unsure future.
“Immigrants are afraid right now at this present time,” he said.
In a press release announcing the vote results, Soto-Martinez echoed that sentiment with a tale of his own.
“My parents were undocumented, but they built a life here without living in constant fear,” he said. “No one should worry that taking their kid to school or going to work could tear their family apart. This legislation is about using every tool we have to fight back against this authoritarian administration and their illegal policies.”
