LA to require police to record federal immigration enforcement
Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our app. Learn More
Official response and confirmed impact
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.
Incident background
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.
