The Los Angeles City Council approved a proposed ordinance Wednesday to prohibit civilian and sworn city personnel from taking jobs involving federal immigration enforcement.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved the proposed ordinance, which was sought via a motion introduced by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and seconded by Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado. The ordinance requires approval by Mayor Karen Bass before it can go into effect.
It would apply to all city employees — full, part-time, as-needed city employees, regardless of appointment type, as well as hiring hall, appointed officers and 120-day retired employees. City employees would be prohibited from seeking outside employment with the U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, or any entity or subcontractor engaged in civil illegal immigration enforcement.
Rodriguez said the ordinance enshrines into city policy the prohibition of outside employment related to federal immigration enforcement.
“This is important because we need the public to entrust their city employees that they are not going to be compromised or that people have two masters,” Rodriguez said.
City employees currently must seek permission from their supervisors regarding outside employment opportunities.
Los Angeles has been the site of an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration since June 2025, an effort that has been repeatedly criticized by Bass, most council members and other local Democratic Party officials.
A representative for the DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.