Los Angeles mayor signs executive order to help migrant communities amid ICE raids

Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday signed an executive order that gives immigrant communities more funding and assistance in the wake of a series of illegal immigration raids.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been conducting a plethora of raids in Southern California over the past six weeks that have resulted in the arrests of thousands of illegal immigrants. 

Bass said the order is intended to help protect the city's workforce and residents from the federal government, and seeks information on the raids, including who was detained, for what reason and the cost to taxpayers. The information is expected to be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

"There is a need for me to have an executive directive to help our city understand how to protect itself from our federal government," Bass said in a press conference. "What we have seen here over the last, now six weeks of raids that pop up, and we never know exactly when and where they're going to happen. The directive will help city workers know how to address immigration officials should they approach a city department." 

The order directs city departments to create protocols and training in compliance with sanctuary laws on using city resources to help the federal government in immigration enforcement within two weeks, expands immigrant family access to resources from City Departments, and establishes a working group made up of city and immigration rights officials to give feedback on additional guidance for police officers when responding to immigration enforcement activities. 

Bass also said a plan is in the works to give cash assistance to immigrant families who have been impacted by the raids and other law enforcement activity, per the Los Angeles Times.

The directive comes the same day President Donald Trump ordered ICE officers to use "whatever means necessary," to protect themselves from anti-ICE protesters who assault their cars and vehicles. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.