Leaders of a California city want to defy the state's sanctuary laws and support President-elect Donald Trump's immigration plans, including mass deportations.
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said Thursday that he wants to see his city declared a "Non-Sanctuary City," pointing to a rise in violent crime across the state as one reason for doing so.
Newsweek reached out to Governor Gavin Newsom's office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Trump is expected to enact his wide-sweeping immigration policies as early as Monday following his inauguration, including mass deportations. Many Democrat-led cities and states have doubled down on their sanctuary policies, which prevent local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities.
What To Know
Burns is calling on the Huntington Beach City Council to vote on his motion on Tuesday, the day after Trump returns to the White House. The document says California's sanctuary law, SB 54, "has hindered the city's ability" to allow local law enforcement to work with agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In declaring the city as exempt from California's laws, Burns' motion says it would emphasize "the City's dedication to reducing crime, safeguarding its citizens, and collaborating with federal agencies to enhance public safety" for roughly 200,000 residents, allowing local police to work with the federal government.
The move comes after another California city, El Cajon, held off on its vote to seek to work around SB 54 after residents voiced their concerns on the potential impact on migrant and mixed-status families.
SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, became a state law in 2017. It was designed to stop local law enforcement from asking individuals about their immigration status or sharing such information with ICE or the Border Patrol. Similar laws, meant to protect vulnerable people from abuse, are in effect in other states and cities, such as New York and Massachusetts.
Republicans in favor of Trump's stricter immigration plans have argued that sanctuary laws stand in the way of effective immigration enforcement and do not keep communities safe if immigrant criminals can be released without ICE's knowledge.
SB 54 does include exemptions for those convicted of felonies or serious violent crimes, including assault and sexual abuse, meaning local and federal officials are allowed to work together.
What People Are Saying
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns, in a press release: "As government leaders, and as a 30-year veteran of law enforcement myself, I know our primary function is to fight crime and protect citizens, i.e., to keep them safe from crime. That means employing every possible measure and mechanism to fight and reduce crime."
City Attorney Michael Gates, in a press release: "As the top attorney and prosecutor in this City, I support the Mayor's initiative to support our great police department and fight crime at all levels and by whatever means necessary and this initiative is consistent with the lawsuit we filed last week challenging the State's unconstitutional Sanctuary law."
Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek: "President Trump will enlist every federal power and coordinate with state authorities to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families."
What's Next
Huntington Beach City Council will vote on the measure on January 21, just as the first wave of executive orders is expected from President-elect Trump.
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