The Issue

In November 2024, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously codified LA’s sanctuary city status, ensuring that city resources cannot be used for federal immigration enforcement.

Councilmember Traci Park was absent from the vote and later criticized the ordinance, citing concerns about federal funding and public safety.

This is unacceptable.

Los Angeles thrives because of its immigrants—our neighbors, coworkers, and friends who make this city vibrant, strong, and diverse. However, undocumented Angelenos live under the daily threat of deportation and family separation. The Trump administration’s attacks on immigrant communities make it more urgent than ever to stand up and defend LA’s sanctuary city protections.

Furthermore, at District Attorney Nathan Hochman's swearing-in ceremony on December 3, 2024, Councilmember Park stated, "criminals are literally coming from all over the world to Los Angeles just to commit crimes." This rhetoric mirrors former President Trump's anti-immigrant messaging and perpetuates harmful stereotypes against immigrant communities.

Our Demands

We call upon Councilmember Traci Park to:

1. Publicly affirm her commitment to LA’s sanctuary city status and pledge to uphold policies that protect undocumented residents from federal immigration enforcement.
   
   
2. Denounce her previous statements (noted above) that perpetuate harmful stereotypes against immigrants and commit to fostering an inclusive environment that respects the rights and dignity of all Angelenos.
   
   
3. Ensure that local law enforcement, including the LAPD, fully complies with the sanctuary city ordinance, refraining from any cooperation with ICE or other federal immigration authorities except as mandated by state or federal law.
   
   
4. Reevaluate and halt the implementation of surveillance initiatives that could lead to the profiling or monitoring of immigrants, activists, or other vulnerable groups. This includes suspending plans for real-time crime centers and increased surveillance in public spaces until thorough community consultations are conducted and safeguards are established.

Why This Matters

Los Angeles is home to 3.5 million immigrants, comprising 35% of the city’s population. The communities being targeted are the same ones that sustain our economy, enrich our culture, and uphold LA’s legacy as a city of resilience and resistance.

By refusing to take a stand and engaging in harmful rhetoric, Councilmember Park signals that she prioritizes federal funding and political expediency over the lives of our neighbors, families, and essential workers.

This is not just a policy issue—it is about racial justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and LA’s responsibility to protect the many Spanish-speaking migrants who are of Mesoamerican Indigenous descent, whose communities predate colonial borders.

The American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (ADRIP) affirms the right of Indigenous peoples to maintain their identity and protection from forced displacement. Yet, Indigenous migrants continue to face deportation, criminalization, and systemic barriers to safety. Park’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and push for expanded LAPD surveillance further endanger these communities, reinforcing the very structures that have displaced Indigenous peoples for centuries.

Los Angeles cannot claim to be a sanctuary city while its leaders fuel policies that put Indigenous, Brown, and immigrant communities under constant threat.

Councilmember Park, we demand that you take a stand.

Sign this petition to demand that Councilmember Traci Park stop compromising our communities' safety and start advocating for the people she was elected to represent.