California defies Trump, feds and becomes ‘Sanctuary State’ for illegal immigrants
California officially became a sanctuary state for illegal aliens on Thursday with the stroke of Gov. Jerry Brown’s pen.
Senate Bill 54 will go into effect in January 2018. Brown signed the bill entitled the “California Values Act” and released a signing statement. Brown explained what the bill does and does not do.
The bill prohibits local law enforcement from asking about immigration status in the course of routine interactions and prohibits them from complying with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests.
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“The bill further directs our Attorney General to promulgate model policies for local and state health, education, labor and judiciary officials to follow when they deal with immigration matters,” wrote Brown.
“This bill does not prevent or prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Department of Homeland Security from doing their own work in any way,” said Brown in the signing letter.
According to Brown, “The bill does not prohibit sheriffs from granting immigration authorities access to California jails to conduct routine interviews, nor does it prevent cooperation in deportation proceedings for anyone in state prison or for those in local jails for any of the hundreds of serious offenses listed in the TRUST Act.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded to questions about the bill during Thursday’s press briefing, “I hope that California will push back on their Governor’s, I think, irresponsible decision moving forward.”
Trump lost the sanctuary city battle earlier this year, but the administration’s threat could potentially result in slashing billions of dollars in federal grants that pay for a range of programs for crime and domestic violence victims, drug treatment, missing and exploited children, forensic labs, services for the disabled, and boys’ and girls’ clubs.
CNN noted possibly losses for Los Angeles: Los Angeles receives more than $500 million annually in federal grants, according to spokesman George Kivork. The money helps pay for an array of services — from securing the city’s port to sheltering its homeless.
Those funds include more than $115 million for public safety programs.
Trump: “We will end the sanctuary cities that have resulted in so many needless deaths. Cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars, and we will work with Congress to pass legislation to protect those jurisdictions that do assist federal authorities.” – A speech on immigration in Phoenix in August 2016
