Santa Ana Votes To Officially Become A Sanctuary City

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — It became law at a Santa Ana City Council meeting Tuesday night. Santa Ana is now officially a sanctuary city.

Many residents are happy they are now living in a sanctuary city but most say they want more protection.

Last month the city council passed a resolution. Hundreds gathered at City Hall on this night to witness the ordinance pass making the resolution official.

Now most folks want the city to end its contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement - also known as ICE - inside the jail.

"Step one is allowing people to remain, but step two is allowing people to thrive," a speaker at the meeting said.

President-Elect Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from those cities that declare themselves sanctuaries.

However, several cities are ready to do battle in Washington over those funds.

Santa Ana becomes the first in O.C. and  joins more than a dozen other cities in Los Angeles County that are considered "sanctuary cities", including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Norwalk.

Nearly half of Santa Ana's 335,000 residents are foreign-born.