Los Angeles suburb unanimously votes to become 'non-sanctuary city' to support Trump's immigration enforcement

City council members in Huntington Beach, California, unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday to declare the Los Angeles suburb a "non-sanctuary city."

The resolution, titled "Non-Sanctuary City for Illegal Immigration for the Prevention of Crime," was introduced by Mayor Pat Burns, who filed a lawsuit earlier this month against California for its sanctuary law, Senate Bill 54. The legislation, signed into law by former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in 2017, prohibits local officials from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

'The intent of this resolution is to deliberately sidestep the governor's efforts to subvert the good work of federal immigration authorities.'

Attorney General Rob Bonta's office responded to the lawsuit by affirming its commitment to "protecting and ensuring the rights of California's immigrant communities and upholding vital laws like SB 54."

Tuesday's resolution received unanimous support from the city council, passing in a 7-0 vote. The measure directs Huntington Beach police to cooperate with ICE and notify the federal agency when the city releases an illegal alien from its jail system.

The resolution went into effect immediately.

Burns stated, "This is in the best interest of our community, Huntington Beach, to make sure that we utilize every facet of law enforcement we can to make it the best place to live."

"I am pleased the City Council unanimously supported my initiative. This will be another effective tool to combat crime, and it will be a signal to would-be criminals, do not come to Huntington Beach," Burns said.

The city wrote in a press release that "the intent of this resolution is to deliberately sidestep the governor's [Gavin Newsom] efforts to subvert the good work of federal immigration authorities and to announce the city's cooperation with the federal government, the Trump administration, and border czar Tom Homan's work."

The city council called it a "commonsense" measure that supports its local law enforcement and public safety.

Huntington Beach officials are encouraging other cities to adopt similar resolutions.

City attorney Michael Gates said, "In California in particular, fighting crime is difficult enough with the relaxed criminal laws and lack of enforcement. The state should get out of the way of local law enforcement, stop handcuffing our police officers and California's cities, and get back to the business of protecting innocent citizens. Emphatically, the state should not take a position of violating federal immigration laws or encouraging cities to violate federal immigration laws."

Newsom's office did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

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