New LA Law Requires Police To Film Federal Immigration Enforcement

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass approved an ordinance Wednesday requiring police officers to use their body-worn cameras to record federal immigration enforcement actions.

Bass signed the ordinance at City Hall, joined by City Council members Ysabel Jurado and Curren Price, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andres Chait and Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, among others.

The ordinance codifies the mayor's executive directive No. 17, which she issued on Feb. 10. It instructs all city law enforcement personnel to use their body-worn cameras to record immigration enforcement incidents, identify on-scene supervisory immigration officers, and ensure proper reporting and evidence collection, in case of claims of unlawful conduct.

Additionally, ED17 instructs the LAPD to deescalate potential conflicts and provide clear communication to members of the public. Officers are expected to render aid and emergency medical assistance to injured individuals at the scene of an illegal-immigration enforcement operation.

It further instructs city departments to prepare ordinances to potentially impose impact fees on property owners within the city's jurisdiction if they provide staging areas or site control for federal enforcement of immigration laws. It would also require city contract bidders to disclose if they have any contracts with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Bass' approval came hours after the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the ordinance. Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced a motion on Feb. 13 requesting the city attorney to codify the mayor's directive into an ordinance, noting that such orders can be rescinded by future mayoral administrations.

"To ensure lasting accountability and protections for city residents, the components of ED17 must be codified into the city's administration and municipal codes," according to Harris-Dawson's motion.

Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez supported efforts to codify the executive order.

"The city of LA is up against an administration that acts with zero conscience, shame and humanity," Hernandez told her fellow council members Wednesday morning. "And our sanctuary city ordinance laid the groundwork for it. But we must continue to use every single legal tool available to protect our immigrant communities.

"Angelenos must be able to walk into city buildings, enjoy city parks, and access city services without fearing that their local government is helping facilitate a federal immigration enforcement," Hernandez added. "Not a single square foot of city land should be used as staging for federal immigration enforcement, detention processing, or a base or a launch pad for federal immigration raids — and not a single dime of Angeleno's tax dollar should fund the surveillance of our own neighbors."

The Los Angeles Police Department and the union representing rank-and- file officers, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, has maintained that they adhere to Special Order 40, which ensures policing is not tied to immigration status.

"Special 40 has been in effect since 1978 and ensures that Los Angeles police officers target criminal behavior and not immigration status, and that is the way it ought to be," according to a statement from the LAPPL.

City News Service