The Perennial 'Sanctuary' Charade
THE CLAIM: Local Resistance to Federal Overreach The original article, a relic from 2018, heralds Los Angeles's efforts to restrict local law enforcement's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This narrative positions cities like LA as valiant bulwarks against an aggressive federal immigration agenda. Apparently, local officials were drawing 'red lines' and preventing what
they considered federal overreach. THE EVIDENCE: A History of Selective Non-Cooperation Curiously, the concept of 'sanctuary cities' has always been a peculiar one. While headlines celebrate local distancing from ICE, the federal agency still operates freely within these jurisdictions. In fiscal year 2018, the exact period of this Newsweek article, ICE deported 256,085 individuals nationally.
While exact figures for LA are harder to disaggregate from the general California numbers, the state as a whole saw substantial ICE activity, despite its 'sanctuary' status. Los Angeles, for all its rhetoric, still houses an ICE field office and numerous federal assets. The city's actions often amount to refusing to honor detainers – requests for local jails to hold individuals for ICE – rather
than outright precluding federal enforcement actions. THE CONTRADICTIONS: Who Benefits from the Illusion? The performative opposition allows local politicians to burnish their progressive credentials, particularly among immigrant communities, while sidestepping genuine, systemic changes. It also fosters a convenient double standard: local police forces often maintain data-sharing agreements or