New LAPD chief says city won't comply with feds on mass deportations

Los Angeles’ new Chief of Police Jim McDonnell recently said that the LAPD will “not assist” with the “mass deportations” planned by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

"Since my appearance before the committee on public safety, the national election has caused many Angelenos to feel a deep, deep fear, especially in the immigrant community," McDonnell said at a Nov. 8 city council meeting just prior to his swearing-in ceremony as the LAPD’s 59th chief, Fox News reported.

"I have met with members of the community and heard that fear. We also heard some of that just now at public comment. I know we’ll speak more about immigration later in this hearing, but I want to be unequivocally clear here in my opening comments," McDonnell continued. "LAPD will protect our immigrant community, LAPD officers will not take action to determine a person’s immigration status, and will not arrest someone for their status, and LAPD will not assist with mass deportations.” The police chief noted that LA is a “city of immigrants.”

"I know immigrants are being disparaged right now," McDonnell said. "But I want the people of Los Angeles to know my viewpoint. Our nation was built by immigrants and L.A. is such an extraordinary city because of people here from literally all over the world."

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has warned cities that won’t cooperate with the deportation of illegal immigrants that he’ll "do the job with or without you.” Homan has also pledged to destroy criminal cartels and urged illegal immigrants who are worried about being sent home to “self-deport.”

McDonnell was previously the LA County Sheriff when Trump was then president. At that time, he was happy to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to deport illegal immigrants, according to the Los Angeles Times. McDonnell claimed he can’t do that as LAPD chief because of Special Order 40 which stops him from removing illegal immigrants.

"We don’t stop somebody, we don’t arrest somebody, we don’t deal with people based on their immigration status, everybody gets to be treated equally across the city and so we will continue with that as part of who we are," McDonnell said in the Friday hearing.