Mayor Bass Signs Executive Directive 17, Bolstering L.A.’s Defense Against Escalating ICE Raids and Masked Federal Agents

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ED17 increases transparency of ICE misconduct and bars City property from being used by federal agents as staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation

LOS ANGELES - In response to escalating immigration raids across Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass today signed Executive Directive 17 to build on the City's efforts to confront federal overreach by the Trump administration and protect Angelenos from the ongoing, dangerous federal immigration raids.

Today's announcement outlines a sweeping set of directives from Mayor Bass, including measures that prohibit the use of City property for immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation, and increases transparency around the conduct of federal agents through the use of body-worn cameras and other mechanisms. The directive also calls on the Board of Police Commissioners to take specific actions to comply with the requirements of California Senate Bills 627 and 805, which address the use of facial coverings and visible identification by federal agents.

"Immigration raids across L.A. have not stopped, and neither has our resolve to protect Angelenos from ICE's campaign of terror," said Mayor Karen Bass. "It's outrageous that federal agents hide behind masks while racially profiling hardworking Angelenos. It's cowardly and it must end - and so must the presence of ICE in Los Angeles. Together, we will stand united to defend our city and protect one another."

"Today, we made it clear: no city property can be used for DHS staging, and no federal agents can operate in our communities without proper identification," said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez."I was proud to stand with Mayor Bass to strengthen protections for immigrant families and send a strong message that Los Angeles will not cooperate with fear-based federal attacks on our neighborhoods."

"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own neighborhood and to trust their government is working for them," said Councilmember Ysabel Jurado."This directive takes meaningful action to reclaim our shared spaces and hold law enforcement accountable for safeguarding Angelenos from the unconstitutional actions of masked agents. Guided by our community's urgent demand for transparency, it is a critical step toward limiting federal overreach and protecting our immigrant families."

In June, Los Angeles became a test case for the Trump administration's aggressive, unlawful, and inhumane immigration enforcement raids. Mayor Bass issued Executive Directive 12and, with philanthropic and private partners, raised $1.7 million in immediate relief for impacted families. ED12 has become a model for other cities, including Portland, Minneapolis, and Chicago, who are facing similar federal actions.

As these enforcement efforts have intensified, marked by highly visible operations and fatal shootings of civilians by federal agents in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Executive Directive 17 aims to sharply expand protections to keep Angelenos safe from federal enforcement abuses.

Executive Directive 17 includes the following directives:

• Mandates that City property is not utilized by federal immigration agents for staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation;

• Requests the Board of Police Commissioners to direct the Police Chief to update LAPD's protocols related to federal immigration action;

• Provides guidance related to implementing state law that prohibits masking of federal immigration agents;

• Directs the Department of City Planning to prepare an ordinance regarding private property owners who give site control for immigration enforcement and related activities; and

• Begins the process to ensure that City contractors disclose whether they have agreements with the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the full Executive Directive here:

INTRODUCTION

Since June 2025, Los Angeles has experienced an increase in federal civil immigration enforcement activity, marked by highly visible operations that have taken place in neighborhoods, near workplaces, and in public spaces. These actions continue to spread fear and uncertainty among residents, disrupt families and businesses, and damage community trust in government institutions. The federal operations also increase risk and danger to officers of the Los Angeles Police Department when responding to calls related to immigration enforcement activity.

These actions by the federal government raise serious concerns regarding the use of City-owned or controlled property, the conduct and accountability of federal law enforcement officers operating within the City, and the need to establish clear boundaries between municipal operations and federal civil immigration enforcement.

To ensure that all residents feel safe accessing City services, reporting crimes, seeking emergency assistance, and participating fully in civic life, it is essential that City law enforcement professionals have clear guidelines to ensure they can effectively provide public safety for all Angelenos when responding to and interacting with federal immigration enforcement.

Non-public spaces in City-owned or controlled property remain off-limits to federal immigration enforcement agents unless those agents have judicial warrants or court orders. The City has a responsibility to continue to safeguard public spaces, preserve evidence of potential misconduct, ensure compliance with state law, and protect the constitutional rights of all persons within our jurisdiction. Now, we must assert our authority and actively guard against acts of brazen federal overreach.

To fulfill these commitments is to protect human dignity, which is not a privilege bestowed by status, but an inherent right that the City is morally bound to uphold.

On July 11, 2025, I signed Executive Directive No. 12, entitled "Standing United - a Proud City of Immigrants." In that Executive Directive, I directed City departments to update preparedness plans and implement training and protocols to ensure City employees and City contractors were trained and prepared to abide by the City's ordinance that prohibits the use of any City resources, personnel, property and data to support federal immigration enforcement. The directive mobilized departments to support families impacted by federal immigration enforcement. It established a working group between the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Los Angeles Police Department, to work with immigrant rights organizations and community leaders to address issues related to federal enforcement actions and the City's response.

The federal government used Los Angeles as a test case, piloting their immigration enforcement surge here - in our proudly diverse and welcoming city - before taking their efforts to cities around the country. But as the federal government continues its efforts nationwide, the threats to our City from aggressive federal immigration enforcement have not diminished. The City must and can do more to protect our City and all who live, work and visit the City of Angels.

Accordingly, to reaffirm the City's values, to protect City property and public trust, and to provide clear direction to City departments in light of ongoing federal immigration enforcement activity, I hereby direct all City Departments to:

1. City Property and Spaces are for City Purposes Only
   

   1. Within 15 days of this order, identify within the department's portfolio of City-owned or controlled property that might be used as a staging area, processing location, or operations base for immigration enforcement, and, within 25 days of this order, post on each such property a sign stating: "This property is owned or controlled by the City of Los Angeles. It may only be used for its intended City purpose and not used for immigration enforcement as a staging area, processing location, or operations base." No City-owned or controlled property shall be used as a staging area, processing location, or operations base for immigration enforcement. Staging area means an area that is used to assemble, mobilize, and deploy vehicles, equipment, or materials, and related personnel, for the purpose of carrying out immigration enforcement operations. Nothing in this order shall be construed as restricting or interfering with the execution of lawful judicial warrants or the enforcement of criminal law, nor as limiting the rights of any person or entity under state or federal law.

   2. Ensure that, where appropriate, physical barriers such as locked gates and doors are used to limit access to City-owned or controlled parking lots, vacant lots, or garages, and non-public portions of City facilities.

   3. Within 15 days of this order, provide written notice to department contractors of the request to immediately report to the department's Immigrant Affairs Liaison any attempted or actual use of a City-owned or controlled property as a staging area, processing location, or operations base for immigration enforcement.
      

2. Increasing Transparency of Federal Conduct
   

I also hereby request the Board of Police Commissioners to direct the Police Chief to update Notice 11.2 released on June 27, 2025 and revised on December 16, 2025, entitled "Response to Incidents Involving Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions":

1. Instruct all department officers at the scene of an immigration enforcement action to use their body worn camera to record the event and to preserve the video.

2. Instruct the department's supervisor at each immigration enforcement scene where department officers are present to identify, when it is tactically safe, the on-scene supervisory immigration officer and attempt to verify the supervisory officer's name and badge number and record it on the department's supervisor's body worn camera.

3. Reaffirm the instruction that all department officers take measures to maintain the peace by using department-approved tactics and techniques to de-escalate potential conflicts with members of the public.

4. Instruct all department officers to provide clear communication to bystanders, reassuring them of the department's neutral role and explaining that officers are present only to ensure public safety, not to assist with the immigration enforcement action.

5. Instruct all department officers to summon emergency medical assistance and render aid to any one injured at the scene of any immigration enforcement action.

6. Instruct all department officers who receive information from the public regarding conduct of an immigration agent that constitutes apparent violation of state or local law, shall be required to notify their supervisor who will ensure a report is taken.

7. Ensure the department continues to preserve and label evidence relating to all immigration enforcement incidents in call disposition summaries, video repositories, and other reports, and to make a referral of felony matters to the California Attorney General or the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

8. Instruct the department to the extent allowed by law to publicly report aggregated data regarding incidents in which department officers have documented or received reports of suspected unlawful conduct by an immigration enforcement agent. The reports shall be made to the Board of Police Commissioners and the Office of the Mayor no less than monthly, and more frequently as based on the level of immigration enforcement activity.

I also hereby request the Board of Airport Commissioners, the Board of Harbor Commissioners, and the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners to report to the Office of the Mayor within 15 days of this order the measures being implemented by their respective police departments to address federal immigration enforcement activity on City property under their jurisdiction.

1. Identification of Federal Immigration Agents

California Senate Bills 627 and 805 (No Secret Police Act and No Vigilantes Act) prohibit a law enforcement officer from wearing a facial covering that obscures facial identity and requires a law enforcement officer that is not uniformed to visibly display identification including their agency and their name and/or badge number. The Senate bills also require a law enforcement agency to publicly post written policies addressing the agency's compliance with these new state laws.

On February 9, 2026, a federal judge granted the federal government's motion for a preliminary injunction against one portion of Senate Bill 627 (the no masking provision), as presently enacted, from being applied to federal agents. United States v. State of California, et al. (C.D. Cal. 25-10999). It is possible that the State of California will challenge this ruling, or that the State Legislature will amend Senate Bill 627 to resolve the legal concerns raised by the judge.

Once the applicability of Senate Bills 627 and 805 to federal law enforcement agencies and officers is judicially confirmed or the state enacts an amendment to address the concern in Senate Bill 627 raised by the judge, I request the Board of Police Commissioners do the following:

1. Inquire into all law enforcement agencies operating within the city to confirm they have timely publicly posted written policies regarding use of facial coverings and visible identification of sworn personnel consistent with the requirements of California Senate Bills 627 and 805. I request the Police Commission to file a verified written challenge to any law enforcement agency that is not in compliance with these bills; and

2. Direct the Police Chief to publish a directive to department officers about compliance and enforcement of the legal requirements in California Senate Bills 627 and 805.
   

3. Impacts of Use of Private Property for Immigration Enforcement

Furthermore, I hereby direct the Department of City Planning to prepare an ordinance and nexus study for presentation to the City Council imposing an impact fee on any owner of property in the City who gives site control to anyone for the purpose of conducting immigration enforcement and related activities on the owner's property.

1. Disclosures by City Contractors

Furthermore, I hereby direct the City Administrative Officer and Bureau of Contract Administration to work with the City Attorney's Office, which is requested to provide assistance, to prepare an ordinance for presentation to the City Council that would require all bidders on City contracts to disclose in writing any agreement the contractor has with the Department of Homeland Security, including specificity as to the federal agency within the department, the nature of the work, and the terms of compensation. The ordinance should require bidders to disclose all third-party data sharing. These requirements should also be incorporated into all new contracts and renewal of current contracts.

Executed this 10^th day of February, 2026

_____________________________

KAREN BASS