California City Pushes Back Against State's Sanctuary City Law

A small California city is pushing back against its state's so-called sanctuary laws that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.

In a break from the rest of the state, which has vowed to protect its immigrants amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, the city council of Las Alamitos voted 4 to 1 to opt out of Senate Bill 54.

Known also as the sanctuary bill, it took effect January 1 and restricts local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It is also a law that the Department of Justice has been up in arms about and one of the sanctuary laws its agency has sued California over because it says it interferes with their immigration authority.

For the measure to take into effect for Las Alamitos, a second vote is needed, which is expected to take place April 16.

Nearly 65 percent of all deportations are said to have come from the cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal officers.

"I feel that Sacramento, the elected leaders up there, are bullying us into violation of the oath of office that we took," Warren Kusumoto, the mayor pro tempore, said as the small city voted in the ordinance, according to KABC.

Kusumoto says it is needed due to the "conflict between two governing documents—the Constitution of the United States and the state constitution itself."

Las Alamitos is a city of about 12,000 people, and local reports said reactions were mixed inside the city's chamber as community members loudly voiced their opinions.

About 13 other municipalities in California are also taking into consideration similar exemption measures on the sanctuary law, Los Alamitos Mayor Troy Edgar said, according to CNBC.

The mayor added that Los Alamitos plans to file an amicus brief with the Trump administration's "sanctuary law" case against California. Earlier this month, the Trump administration sued California in an effort to halt a series of so-called "sanctuary state" bills, which Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called a "radical open borders agenda."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Most recently, Tracy Lee has finished a documentary episode on national security examining the balance between the State Department and ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go