California, a sanctuary state

On Oct. 5, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation (SB 54) that makes California a sanctuary state, protecting illegal immigrants living in California. An Associated Press article says it gives California “another tool to fight president Donald Trump.” Is that what we need? Another tool to “fight” the president of our country? And, yes, if you are a citizen of the U.S., he is your president.

It is estimated that there are 2.3 million illegal immigrants in California.

The state “has now codified a commitment to returning criminal aliens back onto our streets, which undermines public safety, national security, and law enforcement,” Devin O’Malley, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said in a statement. I agree with that and with the Trump administration when they said “the sanctuary state bill will make California more dangerous.”

Brown’s signature means that police will be barred from participating in federal immigration enforcement activities starting Jan. 1, 2018. Jail officials only will be allowed to transfer inmates to federal immigration authorities if they have been convicted of certain serious crimes. That means there will be a lot of other convicted criminals being returned to our communities.

Democrats hope blocking police from cooperating will limit the reach of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Republicans said it will protect criminals and make it harder for law enforcement to keep people safe. And I agree with ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan, who has condemned the legislation, saying, “California is prioritizing politics over public safety.”

It was only one of several immigration-focused bills that Brown signed on Oct. 5th. It was also the final day to renew permits under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for deportation protection. That is a program that I think should be stopped. When an individual breaks a law, there are consequences. Sometimes those consequences may affect their children. That might be a terrible thing for a parent to do, but it was a law they thought was necessary to break. Because these DACA children are not here legally, they should not get any federal assistance. Lawbreakers should not be rewarded by the federal government. However, they should still have human rights protection.