Since President Donald Trump took office and promised to implement tighter immigration laws and mass deportations, Huntington Beach has declared itself a “non-sanctuary city.”
Mayor Pat Burns’ proposal to designate Huntington Beach as a “non-sanctuary city for illegal immigration for the prevention of crime” was accepted by the city council.
The city said in a statement that the resolution’s goal is to collaborate with the efforts of Border Czar Tom Homan, the federal government, and the new Trump administration.
“Neither the governor nor the state will impede city officials’ adherence to all laws, including federal immigration laws. The city council issued a statement saying, “The City encourages other cities to join Huntington Beach by adopting their own Resolutions.”
Michael Gates, the city attorney for Huntington Beach, praised the council’s decision.
In 2017, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law California’s current sanctuary state law, also referred to as SB 54 or the California Values Act. It made it illegal for municipal and state resources to support federal immigration officials.
“I’m happy that my plan received unanimous support from the City Council. This will be another powerful weapon against crime and a warning to potential criminals to stay away from Huntington Beach,” Burns stated.
The initiative of the council will go into effect right away.
Several of Trump’s broad executive orders issued on his first day in office were specifically targeted at immigration.His directives include abolishing birthright citizenship, halting the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, stepping up military presence at the southern border, and suspending the U.S. asylum statute.
Legal action to halt some of these directives was swiftly initiated. Rob Bonta of California was one of several attorney generals who filed a lawsuit against Trump’s decree that sought to terminate birthright citizenship.
“We are asking a court to immediately block this order from taking effect and ensure that the rights of American-born children impacted by this order remain in effect while litigation proceeds,” Bonta stated in a statement. “The President has overstepped his authority by a mile with this order, and we will hold him accountable.”