LA mayor just banned ICE off city property — DHS calls it ‘illiterate’

Bass signs directive blocking federal agents

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed Executive Directive 17 on Feb. 11, 2026, banning federal immigration agents from using any city-owned or city-controlled property.

The order blocks agents from setting up staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases on city land.

City agencies now have 15 days to identify all properties federal agents could use and submit plans to block access.

The directive also tells the city to lock gates and doors to keep agents from gathering in spaces like parking lots.

LAPD officers get new monitoring duties

The directive puts new requirements on LAPD officers at immigration enforcement scenes.

Officers must turn on body cameras the moment they arrive, record the name and badge number of the supervising federal agent, and preserve all video and evidence.

If someone gets hurt during an operation, officers must call emergency personnel. They also must tell members of the public that they are not there to help the federal operation.

Bass also asked the LAPD to regularly publish data on incidents where federal agents may have broken the law.

City targets private property owners, too

Bass directed the city planning department to prepare an ordinance that would charge fees to private property owners who hand over site control to federal immigration authorities.

The directive also starts a process requiring city contractors to disclose whether they hold agreements with the Department of Homeland Security.

The fee ordinance has not been drafted or voted on yet, so it remains a proposal for now. The city council would need to approve it before it takes effect.

DHS calls the directive legally illiterate

The federal government pushed back fast. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the directive “legally illiterate” and said Secretary Kristi Noem’s message is clear: the agency will continue enforcement in Los Angeles.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has previously said local governments cannot exclude federal agents from public spaces.

Essayli made similar statements in January when LA County passed its own restrictions on ICE operations.

Bass says she acted to protect LA

Bass said she signed the directive to protect Los Angeles from the federal government. She said her office crafted the order with the help of community organizations and immigrant rights leaders.

Bass also said ICE has tried to stage operations at properties across all City Council districts. She called for the city to assert its authority against what she described as federal overreach.

The directive arrives as similar local efforts spread across the country.

LAPD chief clashed with Bass over enforcement

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell publicly said in late January that he would not enforce California’s mask ban on federal agents.

McDonnell called the idea of one armed agency confronting another over a misdemeanor impractical and unsafe. His comments drew sharp criticism from state lawmakers and immigrant rights groups.

Bass said she has spoken with McDonnell and expects the LAPD to enforce the law.

The LAPD Police Protective League said the directive’s body camera and evidence rules reflect standards the department already follows.

Federal judge blocks California’s mask ban

One day before Bass signed her directive, a federal judge blocked the enforcement of SB 627, the No Secret Police Act.

Judge Christina Snyder ruled the mask ban likely discriminates against federal agents because it exempts California state police.

She did uphold SB 805, which requires all law enforcement to display visible identification.

State Sen. Scott Wiener said he would immediately introduce new legislation to add state police to the mask ban, which he said would fix the legal issue. The ruling does not affect Bass’s property ban.

The directive builds on earlier city actions

This is not the first time Bass has moved to limit federal immigration enforcement.

She signed Executive Directive 12 on July 11, 2025, after large-scale ICE raids swept across Los Angeles starting in June 2025.

That order required city departments to develop preparedness plans and name immigration affairs liaisons.

Even earlier, in December 2024, the city passed an ordinance banning the use of city resources, personnel, property, and data to support federal immigration enforcement.

LA County passed its own restrictions

The LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion on Jan. 13, 2026, to develop an ICE Free Zones ordinance.

Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis introduced the motion after an October 2025 ICE raid at Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center in San Pedro disrupted public access.

The proposed county ordinance would require signage on county properties and set up a permit process for any civil enforcement operations on county land.

Chicago set the model last year

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an ICE Free Zone executive order in October 2025, banning federal agents from using city-owned parking lots, vacant lots, and garages for immigration operations.

City departments had five days to identify affected spaces and post signage.

The order also offered free signage to private property owners who wanted to voluntarily participate. Other cities, including Santa Clara, Oakland, Richmond, and St. Paul, have since moved to pass similar policies.

Protests spread across Southern California

Demonstrations and student walkouts have spread across Los Angeles and Orange counties in recent weeks.

The broader national movement against ICE operations grew after two fatal shootings of residents by federal agents in Minneapolis in January 2026.

Congressional Democrats have made ICE restrictions a central demand in DHS funding talks, with a Feb. 13 deadline approaching.

Bass’s directive comes as the clash between local and federal authority over immigration enforcement draws national attention.

Legal questions hang over enforcement

Federal law generally overrides local law, but local governments keep control over their own property. That legal principle is the foundation for sanctuary policies across the country.

Similar orders in Chicago and elsewhere have not stopped ICE operations from continuing. The federal government could challenge Bass’s directive in court.

How and whether the LAPD will actively enforce the property ban remains an open question.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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