As the Government shutdown continues, the governor of California is trying to serve as an example as he signs the Trust Act which limits the state’s detainment, screening and deportation of immigrants within the state, hit the jump for more details!
“While Washington waffles on immigration, California’s forging ahead,” stated, California Governor Jerry Brown in a press release after signing the legislation into law. “I’m not waiting.”
HuffPost reports: The new California law, known as the Trust Act, limits the state’s cooperation with Secure Communities, a federal program that allows the Department of Homeland Security to access fingerprints taken by local police, to screen detained individuals for immigration status and to request that law enforcement agencies hold them if they’re found to be undocumented.
Politicians such as Democratic Assembly member Tom Ammiano, who happes to be a top sponsor of the Trust Act stated of the governors’ actions:
“It makes it all the more important that California be on the lead on this,” he said. “If we get the governor’s signature, it will be really a benchmark. It will be one of the first states that has gone on record about this program. … And hopefully, it will signal to D.C. that they need to start moving.”
The Act was vetoed by Brown last year when a prior version of the legislation, called the bill “fatally flawed.” “Brown faulted the earlier version of the Trust Act for barring the state from detaining individuals on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement even when they were charged with or convicted of significant crimes, including offenses involving child abuse, drug trafficking and gang activity. This year’s version of the Trust Act addressed those concerns by making the list of crimes classified as serious offenses more extensive”
The enactment of the policy is rare in states like California, which has an influx in hispanic/immigrant residents living within the state. This is a huge sign of regression, hopefully other politicians follow suit!
