Members of the Huntington Beach City Council voted unanimously to declare Huntington Beach as a non-sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants on Jan. 21. Local law enforcement agencies will now cooperate with federal agencies, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, effective immediately.
Newly elected Mayor Pat Burns introduced the initiative, Resolution No. 2025-01, to declare Huntington Beach a “Non-Sanctuary City for Illegal Immigration for the Prevention of Crime” on Jan. 16 and presented the initiative at the Jan. 21 city council meeting.
“Nearly 20 million illegal immigrants were allowed to enter the Country under the Biden administration, which has led to an increase in crime,” Burns wrote in the initiative. According to the California Department of Justice, violent crime rose 15.1% between 2018 and 2023.
The entrance of undocumented immigrants can be estimated by encounters. An encounter is defined by the Department of Homeland Security as “any encounter of a removable noncitizen by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) or U.S. Border Patrol (USBP).” There were 10.8 million encounters under former President Joe Biden’s administration, according to the Homeland Security Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Community members and city officials participated in a discussion of the initiative, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California, Declaring the City of Huntington Beach a Non-Sanctuary City for Illegal Immigration for the Prevention of Crime,” at the city council meeting.
“The sanctuary state law [California Senate Bill 54 (SB 54)] … impedes or interferes with local law enforcement officials’ ability to comply with federal law where they are required to,” City Attorney Michael Gates said at the meeting. “The Sanctuary State law in California prevents you, and really causes you, to commit a federal crime.”
SB 54 titled “Law enforcement: sharing data” was amended on Oct. 5, 2017 to include Chapter 17.25 “Cooperation with Immigration Authorities,” also known as the California Values Act. The bill states that local authorities and resources will not be used to assist federal agencies with immigration enforcement, which made California a sanctuary state. Gates filed a lawsuit for the city of Huntington Beach against the state of California on Jan. 7 over SB 54.
“We will not be the magnet that attracts and welcomes lawlessness. Here in Huntington Beach, we want the message to be loud and clear, we prioritize the safety of our citizens over political gamesmanship,” Councilmember Chad Williams said at the meeting. “I’d like to encourage other cities to step up, join us and make it clear that lawlessness has no sanctuary in our cities.”
Several councilmembers echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the safety of residents in Huntington Beach. Resolution No. 2025-01 was approved unanimously in a 7-0 vote by the councilmembers present: Burns, Mayor Pro Tem Casey McKeon, and Councilmembers Williams, Butch Twining, Don Kennedy, Gracey Van Der Mark and Tony Strickland.
Huntington Beach local law enforcement will now be responsible for assisting in the enforcement of immigration laws.
Information on federal immigration enforcement on UC campuses can be found on the University of California website.
Alyse Billiard is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at abilliar@uci.edu.