Santa Ana, CA: Leading the Way on Sanctuary Cities, Possibly on Universal Representation Too

Lawrence Downes writes in today’s op-ed column for the New York Times about how the city of Santa Ana in Orange County, CA has emerged as a local leader in the immigration resistance against the current Administration. Yes, Orange County – a historically Republican county, a majority of whom cast Democratic votes for the President in the most recent election.

“When the Council gave final approval to its sanctuary ordinance in January, by a 6-to-0 vote, it was the culmination of months of persuasion by residents who feel the force of Mr. Trump’s anti-immigrant threats intimately. They argued that Latino and Asian families, including many unauthorized immigrants with citizen children, have fought for a foothold in this country and deserve to live in safety and peace. They pointed out that using the local police as immigration enforcers takes them away from their primary responsibility, the safety of the community. It wastes crime-fighting resources. It costs too much. And it’s constitutionally dubious for localities to detain people for no other reason than an administrative request from ICE.

…

Success has encouraged the residents of Santa Ana to consider the next steps. Now that we’re a sanctuary city, what else should we do? How about finding lawyers to help people in detention fight deportation? A resolution to examine the issue came before the Council the other night. Students, lawyers and community members waited through hours of legislative minutiae for a chance to testify. At about 12:30 in the morning, the resolution passed unanimously.”

-JKoh