The city of Los Angeles has spent $250,000 installing 450 signs declaring municipal property off-limits to federal immigration agents. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli says the signs are legally worthless.
Each sign cost $500 to produce and install. They have appeared at libraries, parks, transit hubs, and public parking lots across the city in recent weeks, including at the Los Angeles Zoo, MacArthur Park, and Lafayette Park.
The notices, which stem from Executive Directive 17 signed by Mayor Karen Bass, state that ICE officers cannot stage raids, process detainees, or use city-owned property as operational bases for immigration enforcement.
Essayli told the New York Post the signs carry no legal weight.
“As the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently confirmed, states and cities do not have the authority to regulate federal agents,” Essayli said. “Mayor Bass’s directive has no effect on federal law enforcement operations.”
Bass signed the order as part of a broader push to limit federal immigration activity across the city. Under its terms, city departments must identify properties that could be used for enforcement operations, lock down non-public areas such as lots and garages, and report any contact with federal agents.
LAPD officers are also being directed to document encounters with federal agents using their body cameras.
“I signed Executive Directive 17 because I will not stand by while federal agents use our neighborhoods as staging grounds for fear and intimidation,” Bass said in a statement. “In Los Angeles, we are setting clear boundaries: City property will not be used to carry out these raids, and we will demand transparency and accountability from anyone operating in our communities.”
The city is also weighing new enforcement mechanisms, including fines for private property owners who allow immigration operations on their land and disclosure requirements for contractors with federal government ties.
