California Democrats Introduce Legislation to Undermine Immigration Enforcement

Legislators in the California State Assembly and State Senate began the 2017-2018 legislative session by introducing a package of bills prioritizing the interests of illegal aliens over its lawful residents. (Senate President Pro Tempore Press Release, Dec. 5, 2016) Democrats in both chambers introduced measures to thwart immigration enforcement under the upcoming Trump administration.

First, State Senator Ben Hueso (D-40) introduced Senate Bill 6 (S.B. 6) to provide taxpayer-funded legal representation to illegal aliens, despite a federal law prohibiting the expenditure of government money on legal representation for aliens in immigration matters. (8 U.S.C. 1229a(b)(4); 8 U.S.C. 1362) Notably, S.B. 6 provides illegal aliens with free legal representation for civil proceedings, something that is not provided to U.S. citizens who face civil legal issues, such as foreclosures, evictions proceedings, child custody cases, or divorce proceedings. (S.B. 6) Aliens that wish to be represented by legal counsel are free to do so, but federal law stipulates that it must be at no cost to the government. (8 U.S.C. 1229a(b)(4); 8 U.S.C. 1362)

Additionally, Assembly Member Robert Bonta (D-1 introduced Assembly Bill 3 (A.B. 3), which creates training centers offering training programs for public defenders on immigration issues. A.B. 3 will provide taxpayer funded legal training, written materials, mentoring, and technical assistance for public defenders on issues relating to immigration consequences of criminal convictions. (A.B. 3) Together, S.B. 6 and A.B. 3 are estimated to cost taxpayers up to $80 million dollars to implement. (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 2016)

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, (D-24) also announced legislation to strengthen California’s sanctuary policies by banning state and local law enforcement from using any resources for the purposes of immigration enforcement. (Sacramento Bee, Dec. 7, 2016) Senate Bill 54 also repeals existing California law that requires law enforcement to notify federal immigration officials if there is reason to believe a person arrested for a controlled substance violation is not a U.S. citizen.

State Senator Ricardo Lara (D-33) also announced his plans to introduce legislation to combat President-elect Trump’s immigration proposals. (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 19, 2016) Senator Lara included a proposal to require state voter approval of any additional border fence projects on the state’s Mexico border.

Lastly, the two chambers passed identical resolutions, House Resolution 4 and Senate Resolution 7, urging President-elect Trump to avoid deportation of illegal aliens and maintain President Obama’s unconstitutional Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA provides illegal aliens with a temporary deferment of deportation and work authorization if they show that they entered the United States before the age of sixteen, as well as other requirements.

Currently, California has the largest illegal alien population in the country, estimated to be over 3 million. California is one of just two states to have a state-wide sanctuary policy shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement. FAIR estimates California taxpayers already spend at least $25.3 billion annually on costs related to illegal immigration. (FAIR Cost Study, 2014)

http://www.fairus.org/legislative-up...e-12-20-2016#2