Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire for claiming the city is free of crime despite rising public safety concerns.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Bass declared, “there is nothing — anything — in this city that has happened that comes even close to a crime, period.”
She made the remarks in response to allegations from the Trump administration that she and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are facilitating illegal immigration in ways that endanger public safety.
The city’s crime statistics suggest a contrasting reality.
Overall, Los Angeles reported approximately 3,115 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, a 29.7 percent increase from the previous year, according to Get Safe and Sound.
Critics argue that sanctuary policies, while designed to protect immigrant communities, may inadvertently limit law enforcement’s ability to coordinate with federal authorities to apprehend criminal illegal immigrants.
Federal law explicitly addresses harboring or concealing illegal immigrants.
Title 8, United States Code 1324, has prohibited such actions since 1952, imposing penalties of five to 10 years in prison, with harsher consequences if a person dies as a result.
Opponents of sanctuary measures contend that policies in California could be interpreted as conflicting with these statutes, creating potential legal