The Los Angeles City Council proposed new legislative policy Feb. 4 that would strengthen labor and immigration protections.

The policy includes a citywide “Know Your Rights” campaign for immigrants without legal status, city notifications about United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence and nonprofit legal aid at LAX. The council also proposed a resolution urging the City of LA to support any California legislation that would increase funding for protections against deportation, as well as a separate motion for legal services funding, according to a press release from City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez’s office.

This proposal builds on the council’s unanimous November ordinance that established LA as a “sanctuary city,” preventing city resources from being used for federal immigration policy enforcement. The ordinance included an urgency clause that put it into effect Dec. 19.

These policies are designed to respond to recent Trump administration executive orders ending birthright citizenship and increasing ICE’s presence across the nation, District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said in a press conference.

One of the best ways immigrant workers without legal status can protect themselves and their families is through knowing their rights, Hernandez said at the press conference. She added at the press conference that LA must put more effort toward protecting its immigrant community.

“Entire economies, workforces are on the backs of immigrants – are literally thriving because of the hands and works of immigrants,” Hernandez said at the press conference. “We must do more if we are serious about being a sanctuary city.”

Niels Frenzen, co-director of the USC Gould School of Law’s immigration clinic, said policies must be practical in addition to symbolic, and they should aim to make it safe for people without legal status to interact with authorities, fire departments or medical professionals.

“It is not good for society as a whole to have … one (population) totally in the shadows when it comes to public safety and to public health,” Frenzen said.

Young activists need to keep using their voices to push for a world that represents everyone, and Angelenos should support immigrant-owned local businesses, District 6 Councilmember Imelda Padilla said at the press conference.

Evelyn Hernandez, a campaign organizer at the Central American Resource Center of LA, said she believes the reaction to Trump’s orders is a critical moment for her community, which she feels is under attack. She added that she wants to see LA remain strong in its commitment to being a sanctuary city and continue to implement policies that protect her community.

Alexandra Magallon, associate director of programs and services for the TransLatin@ Coalition – which supports transgender, gender-nonconforming and intersex immigrants – said there has been an influx of transgender people coming to California to flee restrictive policies in their home states.

About 26.8% of adult transgender people in California are immigrants, according to a study from the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute. However, very little representative data about transgender immigrants exists, making it difficult for policymakers to adequately support this population, according to the study.

“They can’t be in their nation because of discrimination, and they can’t be here, where they’re seeking refuge,” Magallon said. “Where do you go when there’s nowhere to go?”

The motions will move to the Civil Rights, Equity, Immigration, Aging and Disability Committee before going to the full city council for a vote.

“The protests and actions we see are not just about policy. They are about humanity,” Padilla said. “A reminder to everyone that the American identity is alive, and those who come and call themselves an American to be here for generations to come.”