It comes after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and promised to speed up deportations.
SAN DIEGO—California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Jan. 24 met with rights groups and activists in San Diego to discuss guidance for immigrant communities, as part of what’s been called the state’s “Trump-proofing” efforts.
The meeting was the fifth and final event in a series hosted by Bonta across the state starting last year in a campaign to inform communities about California law amid the Trump administration’s policies on illegal immigration.
On Jan. 20, on the same day of his inauguration, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, citing concerns over drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crime. During his campaign, he repeatedly promised to initiate the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
“We’ve been preparing for this day for months—hearing concerns through these regional convenings and issuing guidance for immigrants, local law enforcement, prosecutors, school officials, and public institutions,” Bonta said.
Bonta said immigrants in California communities, including illegal immigrants, have the right to an attorney, emergency medical care, the right to apply for housing without sharing immigration status, and their children have the right to receive a free public education, among others.
Bonta’s office also said local and state law enforcement cannot ask for people’s immigration status for immigration enforcement purposes, share their personal information for immigration enforcement purposes, or assist Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with immigration enforcement activities in most cases.
Exceptions can include those with serious or violent felony convictions, those who have outstanding federal felony arrest warrants for federal crimes, or registrants on the California sex and arson registry.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has said that ICE will prioritize illegal immigrants who have a violent criminal history or who are considered threats to public safety, but he also warned that there will be additional arrests.
According to a new executive order on illegal immigration signed by Trump on Jan. 20: “It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens, particularly those aliens who threaten the safety or security of the American people.”
By Jane Yang
