Chris Kelly reports below on an L.A. mayoral candidate’s past involvement with the Chicano separatist group MEChA. But candidate Antonio Villaraigosa’s opponent, incumbent mayor James Hahn, is indistinguishable from Villaraigosa in his support for immigration law-breakers. Whoever wins the mayoral race, L.A. will continue to flout the law.

Both Hahn and Villaraigosa recently affirmed their commitment to Los Angeles’s sanctuary law, special order 40. That law prohibits the Los Angeles police from arresting criminals for immigration violations. Let’s say an L.A. officer recognizes a MS-13 gang member on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The gangbanger was previously convicted for armed assault and deported back to El Salvador. Now he’s back, more violent than ever. Without special order 40, the officer could arrest him on the spot for a federal felony: returning to the country following deportation. Thanks to special order 40, however, the officer can’t lay a finger on him for his felonious reentry. Illegal gangbangers in L.A. enjoy total immunity from the police for all immigration crimes.

Illegal alien advocates portray sanctuary laws (replicated in high-immigrant areas across the country) as pro-immigrant. Bunk. By turning an entire city into a safe zone for illegal criminals, sanctuary laws keep law-abiding immigrants in the grip of crime and fear.

Los Angeles police officers detest special order 40. The LAPD top brass, however, seem to worry more about placating illegal alien advocates than about keeping communities safe. Deputy Commissioners warn police captains that if they so much as think of arresting a gangbanger for an immigration felony, they will face disciplinary action.

Mayor Hahn could finally deliver on his promise to free L.A. barrios from gangs by jettisoning special order 40. He might also find that standing up for immigration enforcement would guarantee his reelection. But in L.A., apparently, the politics of illegal immigration trump everything else. The message to legal immigrants is clear: You were a sucker to play by the rules.