The governor made clear that the allocated funding would not be used to protect immigrants convicted of serious or violent felonies.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills on Friday that would set aside a combined $50 million to protect immigrants and defend the state from potential legal actions by the Trump administration.
One of the bills allocates $25 million to nonprofit organizations that offer legal immigration services to people “at risk of detention, deportation, eviction, wage theft, intimate partner violence, and other actions that put their safety at risk” due to federal actions.
In his signing statement, Newsom said the bill will help to protect the civil rights of California’s “most vulnerable residents,” including people with disabilities, homeless people, victims of human trafficking and wage theft, as well as immigrants.
The governor made clear that the allocated funding would not be used to protect immigrants convicted of serious or violent felonies. Newsom also called on state lawmakers to pass subsequent legislation if further clarification on this is necessary.
The second bill sets aside $25 million for the state Department of Justice to push back against federal policy “that adversely impact the state, its taxpayers, and residents” through litigation.
The bills were passed by state lawmakers on Feb. 3. California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-District 29) has raised concerns over President Donald Trump’s executive actions targeting various federal agencies, as well as the administration’s recent funding freeze—which he said has affected critical resources for the community.
“Right now, Californians are being threatened by an out-of-control administration in Washington that doesn’t care about the Constitution and thinks there are no limits to its power,” Rivas told the assembly on Feb. 3. “We must ensure that our residents receive the federal services and benefits that they have contributed to and that they deserve.”
California joined a coalition of attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia in filing an emergency motion on Feb. 7 to ask a federal judge to enforce a restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s freeze on federal financial assistance.
