Trump Blasts Gov. Brown’s Immigrant Pardons

President Donald Trump blasted California Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday for his pardon of five ex-convicts facing deportation, including two who fled the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia with their families four decades ago.

In a tweet , Trump referred to Brown as “Moonbeam,” referencing a nickname a newspaper columnist coined for him in the 1970s. Trump then listed the ex-convicts’ crimes before they were pardoned Friday. They include misdemeanor domestic violence, drug possession, and kidnapping and robbery.

Trump wrote: “Is this really what the great people of California want?”

A spokesman for Brown responded to a request for comment with more information about the five men but did not directly address Trump’s criticism. …

Click here to read the full article from the Associated Press

AMANDA LEE MYERS and PAUL ELIAS

Trump applauds Orange County on fight against sanctuary laws

President Trump on Wednesday cheered a decision by officials in Orange County, Calif., to join a federal lawsuit seeking to block California’s so-called sanctuary laws.

“My Administration stands in solidarity with the brave citizens in Orange County defending their rights against California’s illegal and unconstitutional Sanctuary policies,” Trump tweeted.

“California’s Sanctuary laws release known dangerous criminals into communities across the State. All citizens have the right to be protected by Federal law and strong borders,” he added.

The president’s tweets came a day after the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to join a Justice Department lawsuit that seeks to block California state laws that Trump administration officials say prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration agents. …

Click here to read the full article from The Hill

Travis Allen launches statewide effort against Sanctuary State policy

Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, addresses the breakfast meeting of the Los Alamitos Chamber on Friday August 4, 2017. Allen will be running for governor and is leading an initiative drive to put a measure on the ballot repealing the road improvement/gas tax measure recently approved by the Legislature. He is speaking at Griffins Grill in Los Alamitos. (Photo by Karen Tapia, Contributing Photographer)

State Assemblyman Travis Allen launched  a statewide campaign to encourage other cities to follow Los Alamitos’ decision to uphold Federal Immigration Law and locally fight the illegal Sanctuary State.

“Los Alamitos’ rejection of the Sanctuary State is a major victory for their citizens and the safety of their community,” said Travis Allen. “Our government’s primary purpose is protecting our citizens and I encourage every city in California to also opt out of the illegal Sanctuary State. Under the unconstitutional, dangerous, and illegal Sanctuary State law,  the California Democrat Party has put criminals before citizens and endangered all Californians. Now is the time for every city across California to stand up and reject this unconstitutional law and follow Los Alamitos’ leadership for the safety of their residents.”

Members of the Los Alamitos Council, which Allen represents in the State Assembly, voted Monday to opt out of Jerry Brown’s state law that limits cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents. Travis Allen’s statewide effort follows after Allen called on the US Attorney General to sue California over Jerry Brown’s illegal Sanctuary State in the beginning of the year. Allen then called on the US Department of Justice to arrest and prosecute Xavier Becerra for obstruction of justice when Becerra threatened California business owners with prosecution if they cooperated with Federal immigration authorities. Allen is now calling on Federal authorities to prosecute Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for aiding and abetting criminals when she recently tipped off over 800 illegal criminals which led to over 600 criminals evading arrest, and further as an accessory to a crime after 3 of those criminals have recently reoffended in California. …

“Kate Steinle’s tragic murder in 2015 was a direct result of San Francisco’s Sanctuary City policy,” continued Allen. “Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, and the Bay Area liberal elites that control California’s government have now put every Californian in the same danger by sheltering illegal immigrants who are committing crimes in our communities. It’s about time that our local officials step up and follow Federal immigration law on behalf of their residents.”

Last year, Assemblyman Allen introduced AB 1252 which would have defunded Sanctuary Cities. This year he introduced AB 2948 which would reverse California’s dangerous and illegal Sanctuary State law.

As California’s next Governor, Travis Allen has vowed to call a special election to reverse the Sanctuary State in his first 100 days in office.

Allen is encouraging every Californian to sign the petition to tell their local city council to opt out of the illegal Sanctuary State. A link to the petition can be found here.

This article was released by Travis Allen for Governor.

More California Cities May Defy ‘Sanctuary State’

from the L.A. Times

More California cities may consider defying the state’s “sanctuary state” laws, after the city council of Los Alamitos passed an ordinance defying the state’s controversial new legislation preventing cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Leaders of Los Alamitos, in Orange County, passed the ordinance 4-1 and instructed the city attorney to file an amicus brief in the ongoing Department of Justice lawsuit against the State of California. The lawsuit challenges the Immigrant Worker Protection Act (HB 450), the Inspection and Review of Facilities Housing Federal Detainees law (AB 103); and the California Values Act (SB 54).

The Orange County Register reports that other cities — and even Orange County itself — are now thinking of following suit (original links):

The County of Orange and several cities in Southern California soon might join Los Alamitos in its bid to opt out of a controversial state law that limits cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Officials with the county as well as leaders in Aliso Viejo and Buena Park said Tuesday they plan to push for various versions of the anti-sanctuary ordinance approved in Los Alamitos late Monday by a 4-1 vote of that city council.

Immigration advocates said Los Alamitos and cities and counties that follow its opt-out ordinance will be violating state law and at risk of litigation.

But Los Alamitos’ anti-sanctuary push also received wide attention in conservative media, and gained support from those who don’t agree with California’s protective stance on all immigrants, regardless of legal status.

Orange County is a key battleground in 2018, both at the state and federal levels. Democrats are hoping to pick up several U.S. House seats in the county, which voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 — the first time in decades that the traditionally conservative county had backed a Democrat.

But Republicans are backing a recall of State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) for voting to raise the gas tax. A ballot initiative to repeal the gas tax hike could also bring Republicans out to vote. And the immigration issue is likely to fuel turnout even more.

Proponents of the Los Alamitos legislation argued that the state was forcing local officials to defy their oath to the Constitution, and that the new ordinance was faithful to the rule of law.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named to Forward’s 50 “most influential” Jews in 2017. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

This article was originally published by Breitbart.com/California

Los Alamitos City Council approves ordinance to opt out of CA’s ‘sanctuary state’ law

Protesters chant during a May Day demonstration outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in San Francisco on Monday. Thousands are expected to take to the streets across the United States to participate in May Day demonstrations.

The city of Los Alamitos on Monday night approved an ordinance to opt out of California’s controversial “sanctuary state” law, in the boldest act of defiance yet by a municipality against Sacramento.

“It is impossible to comply with both the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California,” a Los Alamitos city agenda report spearheaded by councilman Warren Kusumoto reads. “In this situation, my belief is that the Constitution of the United States has precedence over the Constitution of the State of California.”

Los Alamitos officials voted 4 to 1 to approve the ordinance. However, it will not be officially voted on until April 16.

“We are declaring sanctuary from California’s sanctuary law,” Kusumoto, who introduced the legislation, told Neil Cavuto on Fox News ahead of the vote.

The proposal was met with much controversy, as Monday’s meeting saw a line of residents out the door to try and get in. It was divided between supporters of President Trump and a hardline immigration agenda and others aligned with immigration rights activists, expressing their outrage at the measure.

Dozens took to the podium to address the council in support and opposition against the move.

“Keep the pressure up & urge the Los Alamitos City Council to do the right thing. Call, email, attend meetings, rally – your activism is need now more than ever,” the ACLU of Southern California swiftly tweeted following the evening meeting.

Supporters of the measure argue that the California law is unconstitutional because it subverts federal law in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause.

Now, a small Orange County city of around 12,000 residents finds itself at the center of a larger conversation about immigration policies in not just the Golden State – but across the U.S.

Under Senate Bill 54, passed late last year, local law enforcement is prohibited from inquiring as to a person’s immigration status, detaining suspected illegal immigrants for ICE, and from acting as federal immigration agents.

Conservatives and many law enforcement groups argue that “sanctuaries” provide a safe haven for violent criminal aliens, while liberals and immigration activists argue such jurisdictions encourage undocumented aliens to cooperate with police without fear of deportation.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against California over its defiance of federal immigration enforcement efforts, intensifying the battle between Washington and the state, which has centered itself as the flashpoint in fights over the Trump agenda.

But with its actions on Monday, Los Alamitos appears to be positioning itself as the “resistance” to the “resistance.”

This article was originally published by CalWatchdog.com

Bay Area leaders pledge millions to protect undocumented immigrants in court

San Francisco interim Mayor Mark Farrell announced Thursday that the city plans to pay for legal representation of any immigrant that the Trump administration tries to deport.

On Thursday, ICE announced 232 arrests in Northern California in a four-day period.

Farrell spoke at Carecen, an immigrant rights organization in the Mission District, where he made the announcement alongside Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer and Supervisor Hillary Ronen. He said his goal is to make sure every single immigrant that the Trump administration tries to deport has legal representation in immigration court.

“We are in unprecedented territory here,” Farrell said. “He is targeting our immigrant community, here in San Francisco. We’re not going to stand for that.”

Farrell and Assemblyman Phil Ting are partnering together to advocate for $7 million in state funding. The city will spend an additional $3.5 million annually on legal defense services, bringing the total annual amount to $11.1 million. That represents a 236-percent increase from spending levels two year prior.  …

Click here to read the full article from KTVU

232 people arrested during immigration sweep in California

More than 200 people were arrested on immigration violations during a four-day operation in Northern California, but authorities said Thursday that hundreds eluded capture because of a warning from Oakland’s mayor.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said officers made 232 arrests from Sunday to Wednesday arrests and renewed threats of a bigger street presence in California, where state law sharply limits cooperation with immigration authorities at local jails.

The Trump administration has cracked down on so-called sanctuary policies, insisting that local law enforcement inform federal agents when they are about to release immigrants discovered to be living in the country illegally.

Defenders of so-called “sanctuary” practices say they improve public safety by promoting trust among law enforcement and immigrant communities and reserving scarce police resources for other, more urgent crime-fighting needs. …

Click here to read the full article from the Union Democrat

Trump threatens to yank immigration enforcement from California, warns crime would explode

From CNBC:

President Donald Trump angrily said Thursday that he is considering withdrawing immigration and border control enforcement agencies from California because of what he called the state’s “protection of horrible criminals.”

Trump said crime would explode in California if he took such an action — and predicted that the Golden State would be “begging” for the return of federal immigration authorities within two months.

CNBC has reached out to the office of California Gov. Jerry Brown for comment on Trump’s threats. In his state of the state address late last month, Brown issued a strong rebuke to Trump’s previous threats over how California deals with immigration.

“Let me be clear,” Brown said at the time. “We will defend everybody — every man, woman and child who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state.”

In January, California became the nation’s first “sanctuary state,” which restricts to what degree state and local authorities, as well as employers, can cooperate with federal immigration agencies. …

Click here to read the full article from CNBC

California fights Trump’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census

California, home to 1 in 4 of the nation’s foreign-born population, is pushing back against the Trump administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

On Monday, just as President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the upcoming census, Thomas Brunell, reportedly withdrew himself from consideration for the post, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and 18 other state attorneys general registered their opposition to the question.

The Justice Department has asked the Census Bureau to include a citizenship question on the upcoming report. Becerra believes the department is wrong when it argues that the addition would be “critical to the department’s enforcement of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”

Becerra and his cohorts, in a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, add that such a question would violate the U.S. Census Bureau’s obligations under the Constitution because it requires “counting the whole number of persons in each State,” not just citizens. …

Click here to read the full article from the Sacramento Bee

Two DACA recipients arrested on suspicion of human smuggling

A man who was in the United States under the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program, and another man whose DACA protections had expired, were arrested on suspicion of human smuggling in two separate incidents last week, federal officials said Monday.

The DACA program gave unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children two-year renewable permits protecting them from deportation and allowing them to work.

In September, President Donald Trump announced the program would end in March 2018.

The first instance happened on Wednesday near Torrey Pines State Beach.

Border agents were sent to the area after a resident spotted what appeared to be a smuggling incident, federal officials said. Further investigation led agents to a vehicle suspected of being involved, which they pulled over on Interstate 5 near Dairy Mart Road about 12:10 p.m.

Three men were inside: the driver, a 20-year-old DACA recipient whose status had expired, and two Mexican nationals, ages 21 and 22, suspected of being in the country illegally. …

Click here to read the full article from the San Diego Union-Tribune