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A Los Angeles city councilman boasted Thursday about the size of the “undocumented population” in the city, claiming immigrants “make our economy run.”

Los Angeles voted to declare itself a sanctuary city Wednesday following President-elect Donald Trump’s reiteration of plans for mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Democratic Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez of Los Angeles side-stepped “CNN News Central” co-host John Berman’s question about whether he was out of step with the American people, given Trump’s victory in both the national popular vote and electoral vote.

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“I think, you know, as many people have made comments on his — when you speak to the issues of working people, when you address their suffering, the increase of cost of living, you know, people will follow,” Soto-Martinez said. “And I’m very proud that here in Los Angeles, we’re leading on raising the minimum wage for tourism workers. We’re fighting to build affordable housing. We’re giving folks options to get around the city, whether that’s through bus or bike. And so we’re really trying to speak to the issues that the people have. And so — and I think that’s why here in Los Angeles, our message is resonating. And the messages that you described earlier from the Republican Party is not.”

Illegal Immigration has become a prominent issue in the 2024 campaign after a series of crimes involving illegal immigrants, including the murders of Rachel Morin, Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray and the struggles experienced by the city of Springfield, Ohio after an influx of over 20,000 Haitian migrants.

“But again, is this move by you out of step with what voters decided?” Berman asked. “Donald Trump ran on mass deportations. Is what you’re doing, again, opposed to that?”

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“Look, I think that when we have a president that’s trying to rip families apart and has just nominated a border czar that put kids in cages, I think most people would agree that going against those kinds of policies are the correct ones,” Soto-Martinez claimed. “And especially here in the City of Angels, where we have some of the largest — we are a city of immigrants. We have the largest undocumented population. They make our economy run. And so I think here in Los Angeles, I think our message is just fine.”

The Border Patrol encountered over 7.4 million illegal immigrants since the start of fiscal year 2021, according to figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

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