California Dreamin’ – The Rights of Illegal Aliens Matter, The Safety of Citizens and Legal Residents Doesn’t


Matt Obrien
Newsweek has just declared that, “More than 2.3 million undocumented immigrants in California are now officially protected under a new state sanctuary law.” Of course, unless California just seceded from the Union that’s not really true.Yes, the Golden State just passed Senate Bill 54 (S.B. 54), declaring itself a “sanctuary state,” whatever that means. But, the last time anyone checked, California was still one of the fifty states that make up the United States of America – even though it doesn’t act like one.And regardless of whether the California state legislature likes it, federal law, including the Immigration and Nationality Act, still applies there. Which means that foreigners who snuck into the United States or overstayed a visa aren’t “undocumented immigrants.” They’re just illegal aliens. Even if they decided to hang out in California.What does S.B. 54 actually do? More of the same foolishness that sanctuary cities have already engaged in:It bars police departments from detaining people based on their immigration status.
- It prohibits jails and prisons from holding illegal aliens for arrest by federal immigration authorities.
- It prevents immigrants from being delivered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers unless they are convicted of certain felonies and misdemeanors.
- It limits the amount of personal information federal immigration officials can access on illegal aliens through state and local records. (Which appears to be a clear violation of federal law.)
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