55G - RESO - SANCTUARY CITY - Laserfiche WebLink

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Resolution to Declare the City of Santa Ana a Sanctuary for All Its Residents December 6, 2016 Page 2 engage in immigration enforcement by drawing limits on the nature of non - federal engagement in immigration enforcement. While many state and local jurisdictions throughout the United States have adopted polices or practices that limit their own jurisdictions' federal civil immigration law enforcement efforts, the federal government has not made a formal legal determination as to whether those state and local laws or policies violate these provisions. And although there is no legal definition, these laws or policies are sometimes referred to as "sanctuary policies ", while the jurisdictions themselves are sometimes referred to as "sanctuary cities" or "sanctuary jurisdictions ". Through various forms of official communications from U.S. President -elect Donald J. Trump, he has expressed his opposition to "sanctuary policies" and "sanctuary cities ". For example, in October 2016, President -elect Trump released his 100 -day action Plan to Make America Great A gin, which states that he will "cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities ". During his campaign, President -elect Trump's rhetoric has incited fear among many individuals throughout the United States, particularly among individuals who identify as being part of a marginalized, minority, and /or unprivileged group. In response to President -Elect Trump's plan, local officials in more than ten major cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., reaffirmed their commitment to upholding their status as "sanctuary cities ", even in the face of federal threats. Furthermore, many cities and towns throughout the United States have adopted or enacted resolutions, ordinances, policies, and practices to demonstrate their commitment to equal, respectful, and dignified treatment of all people, regardless of their immigration status, and as a result may be referred to as a "Sanctuary City ", even though there is no legal definition for "Sanctuary City ". The City of Santa Ana desires to similarly demonstrate its commitment to its residents by unequivocally stating that it will provide a sanctuary to all residents who are fearful by assuring them that the City will not expend any funds, nor use its resources, including staff, to administer federal immigration law which is the exclusive authority of the federal government. In response to discussion brought forth at the November 15, 2016 meeting, staff has prepared a resolution for City Council consideration. This resolution is indicative of the City's commitment to social justice. If this resolution is adopted, the City would be required to implement various policies required by the resolution. These policies include the following: protecting sensitive information; reaffirming the City's commitment to preventing biased -based policing and disallowing the use of City resources for immigration enforcement; exercising maximum discretion in policing; providing additional training for all affected City employees, officials, and agents; and the feasibility of establishing a task force for oversight. 55G -2