LA County Board of Supervisors approves ICE-free zones motion

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday that aims to bar ICE from any civil immigration enforcement, including staging and processing, on county property.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath presented the motion as a means to "protect citizens and public spaces." She made a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, stating that the ordinance had passed. "Our Board is clear: LA County will not allow its property to be used as a staging ground for their violence," she wrote.

A similar "ICE Free Zone" order was established in Chicago, which prohibits federal immigration agents from using city-owned property for their operations.

"As federal immigration actions are increasingly taking place in public spaces, it is imperative the County of Los Angeles take action to protect our spaces so that they can be accessed by the public and used for their intended County purposes," the motion stated.

This proposal only blocks civil immigration enforcement. The service of search warrants or criminal law enforcement would still be allowed.

"There was an ICE raid in a county park in the South Bay. We know that there is ongoing activity we had, right outside my district office in Van Nuys,  a raid right outside our office, which communicated to people that they didn't care how close they were to a government building," Horvath said.

"So what we want people to know is we are going to do all that we can to keep people safe."

The motion will be reconsidered in 30 days as an ordinance. United States Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X shortly after Horvath made her social media post. 

"Stop misleading the public. Local jurisdictions cannot target and exclude federal agents from public spaces ... We will use any public spaces necessary to enforce federal law," he wrote, noting that county legal counsel should have advised as such.