The city's Mayor, Pat Burns, voiced his desire on Thursday to have Huntington Beach recognized as a "Non-Sanctuary City." He cited the escalating violent crime rates across the state as a compelling reason for this stance.
According to Newsweek, Mayor Burns is urging the Huntington Beach City Council to deliberate on his proposal on Tuesday, a day after Trump is set to return to the White House. The motion contends that California's sanctuary law, SB 54, has impeded the city's capacity to permit local law enforcement to collaborate with federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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The mayor's proposal, if approved, would exempt the city from California's laws and underscore "the City's dedication to reducing crime, safeguarding its citizens, and collaborating with federal agencies to enhance public safety." This would potentially impact the city's approximately 200,000 residents, enabling local police to cooperate with the federal government.
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This development follows a similar situation in El Cajon, another California city, which postponed its vote to circumvent SB 54 after residents expressed apprehension about the potential effects on migrant and mixed-status families.
SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, was enacted as a state law in 2017. It was crafted to prevent local law enforcement from inquiring about individuals' immigration status or sharing such information with ICE or the Border Patrol. Comparable laws, designed to shield vulnerable individuals from mistreatment, are currently in place in other states and cities, including New York and Massachusetts.
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However, Republicans who support Trump's stricter immigration policies argue that sanctuary laws obstruct effective immigration enforcement and compromise community safety by potentially allowing immigrant criminals to be released without ICE's knowledge.
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It's worth noting that SB 54 does provide exceptions for those convicted of felonies or serious violent crimes, including assault and sexual abuse. This allows local and federal officials to collaborate in these cases.
"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," Mayor Pat Burns stated in a press release.
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City Attorney Michael Gates echoed the mayor's sentiments in a press release, saying, "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."
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Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition, stated, "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."
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The Huntington Beach City Council is set to vote on the measure on January 21, coinciding with the anticipated first wave of executive orders from President-elect Trump. This decision could potentially set a precedent for other cities grappling with the implications of sanctuary laws and the incoming administration's immigration policies.