Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 16 april 2018

Opposition to immigrant

sanctuary spreading in California

By AMY TAXIN weak. in a party that has been
Associated Press Since the Jeff Sessions- rendered nearly irrelevant
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — led Department of Justice at the state level, where
More local governments in sued California last month Democrats control every
California are resisting the over its so-called "sanctu- key office.
state's efforts to resist the ary state" law limiting po- "When the attorney gener-
Trump administration's im- lice collaboration with im- al of the United States de-
In this March 27, 2018, file photo, David Hernandez, left, Gen- migration crackdown, and migration agents, at least cides to take a firm position
evieve Peters, center, and Jennifer Martinez celebrate after the political experts see politics a dozen local governments against it, I think that gave
Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to join the U.S. De- at play as Republicans try have voted to either join or a signal to a lot of us that,
partment of Justice lawsuit against the State of California's sanc- to fire up voters in a state support the lawsuit or for 'Hey, California is on the
tuary cities law (SB54) during their meeting in Santa Ana, Calif. where the GOP has grown resolutions opposing the wrong side of this thing,'"
Associated Press state's position. Those in- said Fred Whitaker, chair-
clude the Board of Super- man of the Republican
visors in Orange County, Party in Orange County. He
which has more than 3 mil- also is a councilman in the
lion people. city of Orange who pro-
More action is coming this posed a local resolution on
week, with leaders in the the issue that passed last
Orange County city of Los week.
Alamitos scheduled to vote Raphael Sonenshein, ex-
Monday on a proposal for ecutive director of the Pat
a local law to exempt the Brown Institute for Public Af-
community of 12,000 from fairs at California State Uni-
the state law. On Tues- versity, Los Angeles, said it's
day, the San Diego Coun- not surprising Republicans
ty Board of Supervisors is are galvanizing over immi-
meeting to consider joining gration.
the Trump administration "Politics is very much about
lawsuit. emotions, especially in
Immigration has been a midterms," he said. "I think
hot topic across the coun- it was only a matter of time
try since President Donald when people went back to
Trump campaigned in 2016 the issue that actually hits
on promises of tougher en- the nerve in the Republi-
forcement and a wall on can base these days more
the U.S.-Mexico border. It than any other."
has been a lightning rod is- Under Democratic leader-
sue in California far longer. ship, California has enact-
The state passed a mea- ed a series of laws in recent
sure backed by Republi- years aimed at helping im-
can Gov. Pete Wilson in migrants, including issuing
the 1990s to deny public driver's licenses regardless
health care and educa- of legal status and assisting
tion to immigrants in the with tuition at state universi-
country illegally. It was later ties. After Trump was elect-
overturned but left a linger- ed, lawmakers passed the
ing resentment among the measure to limit police col-
state's growing Hispanic laboration with federal im-
population. migration agents.
In recent years, California Immigrant and civil rights
Republicans have taken advocates applauded the
a less strident approach measure, known as SB54,
to immigration in a state as a way to encourage im-
where one in four people migrants to report crime to
are foreign-born. But the police without fearing de-
Trump administration law- portation.
suit has energized many q