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Council holds and amends LAX lease to require compliance with sanctuary city rules; approves amended lease
Summary
Councilmembers questioned a proposed lease for Customs and Border Protection space at LAX, sought assurances that ICE or detention activities would not occur there, asked for lease language tying use to city laws including the sanctuary city ordinance, and later approved the item as amended.
Councilmember Jurado questioned Los Angeles World Airports’ Government Affairs Director Mark Adams on April 23 about a proposed lease for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Los Angeles International Airport.
Adams described the space as office space with a few training rooms used primarily by CBP staff engaged in cargo operations and some customer‑facing operations such as Global Entry enrollment. In response to council questions, Adams said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not have offices or detention facilities in the leased space and that the space is not intended for detainment activities.
Councilmember Jurado pressed to ensure the lease could not be used by other federal entities for purposes inconsistent with the city’s sanctuary laws. "Is it possible that we can amend the lease to include a provision that it would be in compliance with all city ordinance and that it won't run contrary to it?" she asked. Adams said he would need to consult the city attorney about specific lease language. Jurado proposed a friendly amendment; Councilmember Hernandez seconded.
The council temporarily held the item to allow staff to prepare amendment language and to permit public comment. The clerk later reported an amending motion (22A) had been introduced, posted and circulated. The council voted 15 ayes to adopt the amendment and then 15 ayes to adopt the item as amended.
Why it matters: the lease at a major international airport raised questions about the scope of federal operations on city‑owned property and how the city can enforce compliance with local laws and sanctuary city policy. Council members sought explicit contract language and enforcement mechanisms to prevent uses inconsistent with the city’s immigration policy.
What the record shows: Adams told the council that CBP uses the facility for office and training functions and for some customer‑facing services like Global Entry processing; he also said CBP could not permissibly subcontract space for unrelated detention functions without violating lease provisions and that LAWA would enforce lease conditions if misused.
Outcome: council approved the amending motion (22A) and approved the lease as amended; the clerk recorded 15 ayes for both votes.
Implementation: LAWA staff said they would consult the city attorney on specific lease language and enforce lease conditions if the tenant used the space for purposes outside the lease.
