DAVIS, Calif. — The Davis City Council voted unanimously to adopt a strengthened sanctuary city ordinance Tuesday night, reaffirming the city’s longstanding commitment to limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement while navigating legal, operational, and fiscal constraints.
The ordinance, shaped through collaboration between city staff, the Human Relations Commission and local law enforcement, builds on decades of policy dating back to the city’s original 1986 sanctuary resolution and its reaffirmation in 2014. City Attorney Inder Khalsa emphasized that the effort sought to align local policy with California’s SB 54, the California Values Act, while avoiding legal conflicts with federal authority.
“Immigration law is solely a matter of federal law,” Khalsa told the council, explaining that local governments cannot enforce immigration requirements but are also not obligated to assist federal enforcement…