Santa Ana adopted sanctuary policies in 1986, among the earliest in the United States. The city limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and follows the California Values Act (SB 54) statewide.
Santa Ana City Council declared the city a sanctuary in 1986, one of the earliest declarations in the country. The current policy bars city employees and Santa Ana Police Department from using municipal resources to enforce federal civil immigration law, from holding people on ICE detainers without a judicial warrant, and from inquiring about immigration status during routine encounters. California's Values Act (Government Code section 7284 et seq., enacted via SB 54) layers a statewide floor on top, restricting state and local law enforcement from acting as immigration agents. Federal criminal warrants are still honored.
City employees cannot ask about immigration status during routine service, hold someone past release on an ICE detainer alone, or share information beyond what the Values Act allows.
See how other cities in Orange County handle sanctuary policy preemption.
See how Santa Ana's sanctuary policy preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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