California County Considers Fighting State's 'Sanctuary' Law

SANTA ANA (AP) -- Leaders in Orange County, California, are considering whether to fight the state's so-called sanctuary law for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

The backlash over the law aimed at protecting immigrants from stepped-up deportations under the Trump administration comes a week after the small city of Los Alamitos in Orange County voted to opt out of it.

The all-Republican supervisors of the Southern California county of 3.2 million people are expected Tuesday to discuss passing a resolution supporting Los Alamitos and whether to join the U.S. government's lawsuit against the state.

California passed its law last year to limit local police collaboration with federal immigration authorities.

Supporters say the measure encourages immigrants to report crime to police without fearing deportation. Critics say local authorities should provide more assistance to federal agents.