Karen Bass: ‘We are a city of immigrants,’ vows to defend sanctuary city policies

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday that the city will continue to defend its sanctuary city policies in response to a lawsuit by the Trump administration that claims LA is obstructing immigration enforcement operations.

Bass spoke at a Tuesday morning news conference a day after the White House filed the lawsuit, which claims Los Angeles created a lawless environment with sanctuary policies that bar local police from sharing information on people without legal status. The legal action comes during days of immigration enforcement operations in the city, including at home improvement store parking lots, car washes, residential neighborhoods and other locations.

Bass said LA will continue to defend its policies and city ordinances.

“This is essentially an all-out assault against Los Angeles,” Bass said. “The lawsuit is an attempt to overturn the will of the city, calling for a halt to long-standing policy to protect immigrant Angelenos. We are a city of immigrants who have had policies in place for decades. Ironically, originally, the law was for public safety so the newly arrived immigrant population that was being preyed on by criminals would feel safe in reporting crimes to law enforcement.”

It was not immediately clear whether the city was preparing any legal action in response to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court says Los Angeles’ “sanctuary city” ordinances hinder White House efforts to crack down on what it calls a “crisis of illegal immigration.” It is the latest in a string of lawsuits against so-called sanctuary jurisdictions — including New York, New Jersey and Colorado — that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The Los Angeles policy bars city resources from being used for immigration enforcement. The court filing calls the city ordinance “illegal” and asks that it be blocked from being enforced.

Chad Mizelle, chief of staff for U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, said in announcing the latest lawsuit that the administration will not tolerate any interference with the federal government’s crackdown.

“We will keep enforcing federal immigration law in Los Angeles, whether or not the city’s government or residents agree with it,” Mizelle said in a social media post on the platform

A message seeking comment on the lawsuit was sent to the office of Mayor Karen Bass.

A spokesperson for City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said the city’s ordinance was “carefully drafted” and complies with federal law and constitutional principles separating state and federal powers.

“Our city remains committed to standing up for our constitutional rights and the rights of our residents,” said spokesperson Ivor Pine.