Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck says he won’t order his officers to comply with President Donald Trump’s plan to utilize local police departments to help federal authorities arrest and deport illegal immigrants.
Beck’s comments came in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.
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“This is not our job, nor will I make it our job,” Beck said of Trump’s immigration plan in November, according to the Times.
But even if it was their job, Beck told a Times columnist that it would not be feasible or safe to deport all of the illegal immigrants living in Los Angeles, given that it would require the entire LAPD force.
“We couldn’t deport 500,000 people if we wanted to, and if we did, it would be at the expense of public safety,” Beck said, explaining that it would require police officers to focus on tracking down immigrants instead of combatting crime.
And even if Trump does require local agencies to assist federal law enforcement agencies in deporting immigrants, Beck told the Times that he will still disobey Trump given his personal convictions — even if it costs his city millions in federal aid dollars.
