Los Angeles pushing to become a sanctuary city

The city council of Los Angeles approved a measure on Tuesday barring city resources and personnel from cooperating with federal immigration agents. The measure, if approved by Mayor Karen Bass, will make the second largest city in America a sanctuary city for illegal migrants. Many Los Angeles residents appeared before the council to comment on the measure ahead of the vote, including Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler. Angelenos have a duty to protect immigrants against hate and harm from the new presidential administration, Wheeler argued.

Councilmember Nithya Raman said the ordinance, which she characterized as a common sense law, would also stop the city from sharing direct and indirect data on illegal migrants. Raman also referenced the timeliness of passing a sanctuary ordinance before the power change in January. A change in administration should not decide or change the safety of immigrant communities, she wrote on Tuesday.

The Republican Party of Los Angeles slammed the measure's passage, arguing that immigration laws target dangerous criminals who enter the U.S. illegally and not law-abiding, everyday families. The city should be focused on public safety and cleaning up the streets, not protecting criminals with taxpayers' money, the group wrote.

Will Bass give the measure final approval? The mayor voiced support for the sanctuary measure about a week before the vote. Immigrant communities make Los Angeles stronger, but they need urgent protection in the face of growing threats, she said in a statement.

What other policies are being implemented? The Los Angeles Unified School District board also levied several emergency resolutions to establish itself as what the board described as a sanctuary school district for migrant and LGBTQ students ahead of the Trump administration. So-called gender identity and expression will be protected under the district’s pre-existing respectful treatment policy, according to one resolution. The measure also pledged that the school district would back any legislation supporting immigrant and LGBTQ groups.

Another measure stated that the district would remain inclusive and safe for all communities regardless of any policies enacted by the incoming Trump administration. The board further approved curriculum changes aimed at developing students' critical thinking skills and teaching them to differentiate between news and opinion. The proposed “Ready for the World” course would be taken in high school, but curriculum throughout all grade levels should be modified to best prepare students for the course, the resolution added.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins' report on how immigration plays into rising homelessness in Los Angeles.