By Derek Fleming, Courthouse News
SACRAMENTO (CN) – With several swipes of his pen, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a package of bills aimed at protecting undocumented immigrants Thursday morning, effectively making the Golden State a sanctuary state.
“The national agenda is a racist agenda, let’s not sugar coat it,” Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, said to chants of “Si, se puede,” or “Yes, we can,” at a press conference in Los Angeles announcing the signing of Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act.
“It doesn’t matter if you are documented or undocumented,” Santiago said. “What matters is that we treat all people equally. SB 54 will ensure some dignity to people trying to get to school, to the doctor, or to a court.”
State Senate President Pro tem Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, wrote SB 54 to counter Trump’s campaign promise to crack down on undocumented immigration. The measure establishes safe zones around schools, courts and hospitals and prevents cooperation with federal immigration authorities by state law enforcement. It is the signature piece of a package of 11 bills establishing protections for undocumented residents of California.
“California’s local law enforcement cannot be commandeered by the Trump administration and used to tear families apart, undermine our public safety and wreck our economy,” De Leon said. “It has been apparent to me for months – before Charlottesville, before Puerto Rico and before his rant against black athletes – that our president is pursuing biased law enforcement policies based on white supremacy, not American values.”
De Leon said the Trump administration attempts to create division through fear-mongering.
“I know Trump supporters don’t get this from their news, but immigrants commit far fewer crimes than citizens. That’s not fake news, but the Trump administration doesn’t want you to understand that,” De Leon said. “In California, we will do everything in our power to prevent families from being torn apart in order to feed the president’s base.”
SEIU United Service Workers West President David Huerta said SB 54 is a first step toward fixing the “broken immigration system” in the United States.
“It is in this moment of resistance that the moment is yours. What we do in California matters, and in California we will continue to resist, and through our resistance, we will win the justice that all communities deserve,” Huerta said. “The California Values Act represents what it means to be a Californian and an American in the United States. Our communities will not have to live in fear of deportation and violence.”
Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said Trump seeks to cause distrust for political gain.
“California lawmakers are drawing their strength not from Trump, but from migrants who display a great deal of courage every single day,” Alvarado said. “The irony is that President Trump’s racist scapegoating has inspired an emerging consensus for even greater protections.”
Alvarado added the Trump administration wants migrants to fear the government, citizens to fear migrants and white people to fear people of color.
“They want to make sanctuary cities scared of federal retaliation,” Alvarado said. “Obviously, brothers and sisters, that’s not working out. SB 54 sets the floor for the total separation of immigration law from the criminal justice system. With the signing of SB 54, our state is telling the federal government, ‘President Trump, you can keep your money, we will keep our migrant community.’ SB 54 is turning the rhetoric of resistance into the policies of resistance.”
Other bills signed by Brown as part of the package include protections for education, housing, employment and law enforcement.
The only bill signed as part of the package that was introduced by a Republican was SB 156 by Joel Anderson, R-Alpine. His bill will aid the California National Guard to help its members who are undocumented gain citizenship.
Thursday’s signing follows other bills Brown has signed to provide protection and benefits for undocumented immigrants, including $30 million to fund college financial aid, funding for legal services and health care coverage for undocumented children.
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50 Comments
Dear Governor Brown – You’re still a galactic idiot.
Why does this piss off so many but his crazy train to Fresno, that is billions over budget and his gas tax ( that is on top of a gas tax) didn’t ? Just curious.
It doesn’t mean anything. Well, no more random inspections, but ICE and the Fed’s will continue doing their job. Basically it’s just to shut people up. It doesn’t mean people are allowed to be here illegally and they get sanctuary, it just means the state isn’t going to go out of their way to look for them.
I’m just saying, there’s a lot of pissed off reactions for something that is just a spin on the words “we’re gonna stop spending money on this and keep spending it on a bullet train nobody needs”.
How on earth is this bullet train still happening??? Smh.
Whos going to pay for all these people all of us i hope it bankrupts california.This peice of crap does whatever he wants its time to take back our country or this will never stop.Who gave this ass hole the authority to steal more money from all of us NO ONE HOW MUCH MORE IS IT GOING TO TAKE BEFORE WE STAND UP AND STOP THESE CRIMINALS HOW MUCH??
Don’t worry, the state won’t get taken over by Hispanics?
California should stay out of Federal business. They have no right to protect aliens illegally in the USA.
P.S. Do you really moderate these posts? It’s hard to believe since obscenity laden posts are here.
He’ll get his
It’s amazing to see government in Sacramento making decisions without the people consents, but are not willing to find a solution to the problem. Are they going to make these people legal, are they going to provide them with the same privileges as a US citizen?
We didn’t vote for this ! Were was my voting ballot ??
When do we get to vote this guy out…again?
He’s termed out .. but get ready because on the horizon is worse .. Gavin Newsom
We are not behind you on this Gov Brown.
He’s an idiot!
all why I am moving to AZ! Love it!
Insert libtard bye bye answer here.
Bye bye Libtard! Have another ?!
Shane Greedy ?
Again, CA people have no rights in this state, only moonbeam and the morons do. Shameful and should be against the law.
You have the right to vote.
Ruth Rassool yes for sure
That’s it im looking for a job out of California
Maybe we’ll get lucky governor Brown leaves maybe he’ll take Nancy Pelosi with Him California needs a break????
He needs a psych eval
Do we ever as Californians ever get to vote on anything?
I think the last thing in CA that I got to in was the Pepsi challenge.
Better not get your pronouns wrong. http://feeltheliberty.com/california-can-now-jail-people-misusing-gender-pronouns/
undocumented immigrants…now isn’t that just special…
Dear Jerry…
CA the state run by lunatics voted in by lunatics
if its brown flush it down lmao fkn idiot
Complete lunatic
I’m a Californian and I don’t agree with this decision.
How do I unregister my daughter as a us citizen so she can go to college free?
We Californians already have plenty of criminal types living here. My sleepy quiet little town has turned into a haven for troublemakers. 70 yr old are getting beat up right out in the open! Cars on our streets broken into. Houses busted up. Every home is getting security systems installed. I can’t leave the house without looking over my shoulder. And God help me if I forget to lock my car or front door!! Where’d our sweet town go to?!
Impeach this fool !
How is it I live in a community with such a bunch of racist jerks?
Hope Calif. Losses all Federal funds
….making California a place where the law can be broken and then you get protection? Hmm, that doesn’t seem right. Doesn’t even make sense. If the people we place in authority just disregard our laws, why have laws? I say we fire him. He’s not doing his job well.
He’s the biggest idiot I know. Why he was elected TWICE is beyond me
Wuaoooo puro racista komentando???chales no nos quieren pero bien que somos los imigrantes sin documentos los que sacamos todo el trabajo duro en usa trabajo q ellos jamas arian
Bieeeeeeeen por el gobernadooooor??????????????
Now that mj is legal, the people can give him a sturdy, hempen necktie.
Biggest Douchebag ever.
The Feds. can still do their jobs.Local police have better things to do than tracking illegal aliens.Immigration is under Federal jurisdiction and under the States Rights theory of the constitution they don’t need to expend local or state resources.Gee what happened to the Republican mantra of state’s rights?
Isn’t he like 100yrs. Why is he still making decisions.
Idiot
Even though I live in California “HE’S NOT MY GOVERNOR”