The Los Angeles City Council confirmed Jim McDonnell as the city’s new police chief Friday in an 11-2 vote, but not before a contentious meeting where immigrant rights activists voiced strong opposition to his appointment. As reported by LAist , nearly 100 speakers took the floor during the hours-long session, with most expressing concerns about McDonnell’s track record on immigration enforcement during his tenure as L.A. County sheriff.
The council chambers buzzed with tension as speakers like Bruno Huizar of the California Immigrant Policy Center voiced their objections. “We strongly oppose McDonnell’s appointment due to his prior history of colluding with ICE,” Huizar told the council, pointing to Tuesday’s presidential election results as a reason for heightened concerns about immigration enforcement.
McDonnell, however, didn’t shy away from addressing these concerns head-on. “I want to be clear to all people of Los Angeles, especially our immigrant community, which is feeling uncertainty and fear: This is a city of immigrants and my job is to serve you,” he said during the meeting.