Former California Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday acknowledged that some sanctuary cities in his state have gone way beyond the bill he signed into law several years ago that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Brown defended his decision in 2017 to sign SB 54, sanctuary legislation that restricts local and state law enforcement’s ability to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during an interview with ABC 10. However, the former governor also appeared to distance himself from the policies being passed in sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco and San Diego County, which don’t provide the same level of exceptions for illegal migrants involved in heinous crimes.
“The bill that I signed had a number of exceptions. There were people who were convicted of violent crimes, or even serious crimes who were not getting any benefit of any so-called sanctuary,” Brown said of the legislation he approved. “So it was a matter of having state officials handle state-level matters, and not try to play, like they do in Texas, that they’re federal officials.”
“Subsequent legislation has taken it broader, and some of the cities, like San Francisco, have gone way, way beyond in their effort to create a wall, almost a separation of state and federal government,” he continued. “I think that is going to prove difficult.”
When Brown signed SB 54 into law in 2017, it was largely viewed as another act of “resistance” against then-President Donald Trump, who was in the first year of his first White House term and fast at work on his immigration enforcement agenda.
Several years later, things appear to be repeating themselves as Trump prepares to serve a second term and a growing number of Democrats have vowed to resist his immigration agenda, despite Americans voting him into office on his tough-on-the-border campaign pledges. However, the sanctuary policies being proposed and enacted nowadays appear much farther to the left than yesteryear.
The Democrat-controlled San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed what critics have dubbed a “super sanctuary” bill.
“This reckless measure not only goes far beyond California’s already extreme Sanctuary State laws but actively endangers our communities by shielding illegal immigrant criminals from deportation,” San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said in a public response to the vote. “Consider this: under this policy, law enforcement is prohibited from notifying ICE about individuals, in custody, who have committed violent and heinous crimes, including: Rape and stalking, Assault and battery, Burglary, Child abuse and more.”
The San Diego County vote was just the latest California jurisdiction that has acted in defiance of Trump’s vow to conduct a massive border crackdown.
The Los Angeles City Council, just days after Trump emerged victorious, approved an ordinance that designates the city as a sanctuary for illegal migrants. The new law prevents ICE from using city resources and prevents information sharing with federal immigration authorities.
Trump, among numerous other hawkish measures, has vowed to conduct the largest deportation operation in history, end birthright citizenship for those born to illegal migrant parents, resume border wall construction, hire more Border Patrol agents and resurrect the Remain in Mexico program. The Republican has tapped a number of officials to lead his immigration agenda, such as former ICE acting director Tom Homan, former Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott and others.
Brown suggested that national Democrats are recognizing the need for immigration control, and he hinted that a more orderly process may happen under the Trump administration.
“Now Democrats are responding, saying we need to control the border, we need a more regular process to bring immigrants in,” he said. “Now under Trump, we may have hope to get a good process by which people can come into America, be screened, do it in a lawful way, and the numbers are going to have to be restricted substantially.”
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