By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-01 23:22:09 | Updated at 2026-10-02 06:38:11
7 hours ago
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed an ordinance on Sept. 30 that puts parts of her February executive directive on “federal overreach” regarding immigration enforcement into local code governing city operations.
The ordinance says that, unless required by federal or state law, no city property may be used as a staging area, processing location, or base of operations for immigration enforcement. It requires signs stating the same at city parking lots, vacant lots, and similar open property.
It also requires city departments to secure doors and lock pedestrian and driveway gates to restrict unauthorized access to non-public parts of city facilities and city-owned parking lots, vacant lots, and garages.
City contractors must submit an affidavit saying whether they have contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services involving data collection and dissemination, or with another party involving third-party data sharing with those agencies. The city cannot award a contract to a company that fails to complete it.
Companies that have entered into such agreements must disclose the contract number or title, the nature of the work, and the compensation terms, to the extent federal law allows. The city can terminate a contract over an incomplete or inaccurate affidavit.
Bass issued Executive Directive 17 in February to build on the city’s efforts to “combat federal overreach by the Trump administration” and prohibit the use of city property for staging immigration enforcement actions.
The City Council unanimously approved the draft ordinance for Bass’s signature on Sept. 30, the mayor’s office stated.
“The immigration raids may have left our daily headlines, but they haven’t stopped,” Bass said in a statement. “We cannot let our guard down.” She said components of the directive will be “enshrined in City code,” and that the law “makes clear that those principles are not temporary.”
Los Angeles is one of several cities that have restricted immigration agents’ use of municipal property. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order in October 2025 barring the use of city parking lots, vacant lots, and garages as staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson issued a similar order in January.
A sign features language tied to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's executive directive banning the use of city property for immigration enforcement staging. Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
The Trump administration has opposed such measures. After Chicago’s order was signed, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson
toldThe Epoch Times it would lead to violence against ICE agents, who are responsible for enforcing immigration laws and investigating customs violations.
Regarding the California action, a DHS spokesperson said in an emailed response to The Epoch Times: “While Mayor Karen Bass continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto the streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make Los Angeles safe again.”
City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson thanked Bass and said the council joined him in making the directive’s safeguards permanent.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said at the meeting on Sept. 30 that city land should not be used as staging for federal immigration enforcement, detention processing, or immigration raids.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said companies seeking public contracts should be transparent about whether they share data with federal immigration agencies.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Executive Director Angelica Salas also backed the ordinance.
