Los Angeles City Council approves resolution declaring LA a 'sanctuary city'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles is now officially a "city of sanctuary."

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the mostly-symbolic move as a statement against President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

It is a non-binding resolution that does not change any city laws.

"It will be a place where people will know that they will be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin, not by who they choose to love, not by when they got here," said Councilman Gil Cedillo, who authored the resolution.

The distinction reinforces long-standing but unofficial policies that keep local police from serving as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and city employees from sharing people's personal information with border control.

The resolution also directs $10 million toward legal services for immigrants.

RELATED: LASD Sheriff Alex Villanueva weighs in on CA sanctuary policies

In many ways, L.A. is the original sanctuary city. Back in 1979, LAPD Chief Daryl Gates implemented Special Order 40, forbidding the LAPD from questioning people about their immigration status.

Since then, the city has taken a number of measures to reinforce that position, including setting up a legal defense fund for people in the country illegally in LA and recently decriminalizing street vending to keep undocumented immigrants out of the hands of ICE agents.