Long Beach Is on DHS’s Hit List. We Should All Be Alarmed

On April 28, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that has now placed the City of Long Beach on the wrong end of a federal hit list. The order instructs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under Secretary Kristi Noem, to publicly identify and target jurisdictions that they allege are “defying federal immigration law.” Days later, DHS issued a press release that included Long Beach among dozens of other so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

It would be one thing if this were a serious, fact-based federal effort to discuss immigration policy. But it’s not. The language DHS used is inflammatory, dishonest, and designed to intimidate – not to inform. It accused Long Beach, along with other jurisdictions, of “harboring criminal illegal aliens,” being “lawless,” and “putting law enforcement in grave danger.”

As someone who spent decades in law enforcement – including as Deputy Chief of the LAPD – I can say unequivocally that this is not how a constitutional democracy functions. This is how authoritarian regimes enforce obedience. With threats. With smear campaigns. And with politicized law enforcement agencies doing the dirty work.

Let’s be clear about what’s actually happening here. Local jurisdictions like Long Beach have implemented policies that prioritize local policing, public safety, and community trust. That means local police don’t act as de facto ICE agents. It means undocumented residents can report crimes or cooperate with investigations without fearing deportation. That’s not “lawlessness.” That’s smart, constitutional policing rooted in the Tenth Amendment, which limits the federal government from forcing states and cities to enforce federal mandates.

But now, Long Beach is being publicly vilified by our own federal government for putting our community’s public safety and constitutional principles first.

The DHS press release did not cite a single statute being violated. It did not present evidence. It simply issued blanket accusations and declared that cities like Long Beach would receive “formal notification of all potential violations” and be expected to fall in line. The intent is intimidation, not enforcement.

This is not just about immigration policy anymore. This is about federal overreach. It’s about punishing cities and elected officials who dare to disagree with the White House. And it’s about conditioning Americans to believe that constitutional defiance of authoritarian demands is somehow “criminal.”

Our city leaders – regardless of party – understand that public safety depends on trust, not fear.

But now, they’re being put “on notice” by a federal agency acting more like a political enforcer than a protector of national security.

They – and we – should not stand for it. Not in Long Beach. Not anywhere.

Let’s make sure DHS knows that this city will not be intimidated into betraying our values – or our Constitution. Not by press releases. Not by executive orders. And not by political operatives masquerading as federal officials.

Stephen Downing is a resident of Long Beach and a retired LAPD Deputy Chief