Congressional leaders Endorse Bill that Would Set California Apart from Arizona-Style Enforcement
Today, 22 members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-SF) and Zoe Lofgren (D – San Jose), Ranking Member of the House’s immigration subcommittee, announced their support for the TRUST Act (AB 1081) in a letter to Governor Brown asking him to sign the bill into law.
The letter states that “the measure is designed to enhance public safety and protect civil liberties, while also promoting fiscal responsibility at the state and local level” and also strongly affirms: “There should be no doubt that California has the legal authority to enact the TRUST Act and set sensible limits on the manner in which local law enforcement officials respond to immigration detainers.”
Law enforcement support for the TRUST Act has also continued to grow, with Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto and East Palo Alto Police Chief Ronald Davis recently joining the Sheriff of Santa Clara County and the Chiefs of San Francisco, Oakland, National City, and Palo Alto in supporting the bill.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-SF) commented: “I thank Congresswoman Pelosi and the other California representatives for their support at this critical time for the TRUST Act. Having them stand with us is a powerful statement that we are headed in the right direction, and that our opponents’ claims are based on a misunderstanding of federal law. I’m glad our members of Congress agree it’s crucial for California to have a statewide response to these burdensome requests.”
Meanwhile, the Chicago City Council approved a policy similar to the TRUST Act yesterday, supported by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel :
http://blogs.suntimes.com/politics/2012/09/fspielmansuntimescom_undocumented_immigrants_who_witness.html
The Congressional letter also comes shortly after The American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) published a document offering thorough legal analysis that served as the basis for their support of the bill. A copy of the AILA letter can be found here:
http://www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=41292
“There is a strong consensus emerging in favor of this legislation,” added Chris Newman, Legal Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. He continued, “The few Sheriffs who have opposed the TRUST Act frankly prove the need for the bill by demonstrating their fundamental misunderstanding about the law and their obstinate unwillingness to join the rest of the state in an ernest policy discussion about how to reform the broken status quo.”
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List of signers on today’s letter:
Nancy Pelosi
Joe Baca
Karen Bass
Xavier Becerra
Judy Chu
Anna Eshoo
Sam Farr
Bob Filner
Mike Honda
Barbara Lee
Zoe Lofgren
George Miller
Doris Matsui
Laura Richardson
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Linda Sanchez
Loretta Sanchez
Adam Schiff
Pete Stark
Mike Thompson
Maxine Waters
Lynn Woolsey
