People hold banners and candles protesting against President Donald Trump's executive orders on immigration in Los Angeles, the United States, Jan. 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
by Chenchen Shen, Huang Heng
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Public Safety Committee of the U.S. California State Senate approved a bill Tuesday which would make the state a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.
Introduced by State Senate President pro tempore Kevin de Leon, this bill would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from using resources or spending money to enforce federal immigration laws, including to investigate, interrogate, detain or arrest anyone due to their immigration status.
After the Senate Public Safety Committee approved the bill with a 5-2 vote, it has now moved to the State Senate floor, where the majority is Democrats.
Fox News described the bill as an important step for California to become the first "sanctuary state" in the United States, and was "in defiance of President Trump's stated plans to deport millions of people."
People gather to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order travel ban at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), California, U.S. January 31, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS)
Many of California's largest cities -- including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento -- already have sanctuary policies that prohibit police from cooperating with immigration authorities.
Just days after Trump's election, California Democrats, who control the State Senate and Governor position, began establishing themselves as a bulwark against the new president's pledge to deport some undocumented immigrants.
About one in 10 people in California's work force has no legal documents, de Leon's office estimated.
"We will not stand by and let the federal government use our state and local agencies to separate mothers from their children," de Leon said in December, when he introduced the bill.
People attend the Women's March to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump in Los Angeles, the United States, Jan. 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
The step was accelerated after Trump signed an executive order last Friday, which was widely described as a "Muslim ban," barring citizens from seven Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days and implementing a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.
As the "Muslim ban" has triggered nationwide protest, local politicians lined up to take a shot at Trump, who was sworn into the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
"The actions of the president are in fact anti-Muslim," "and if they're anti-Muslim, they are un-American," the Washington Times quoted de Leon as saying.
"In California, immigrants are an integral part of who we are and what we've become," Governor Jerry Brown said last week. "They have helped create the wealth and dynamism of this state from the very beginning."
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Sunday that his department will not comply with Trump's orders to help the federal government detain undocumented immigrants for deportation.
"This is not our job, nor will I make it our job," Beck said.
Moreover, according to the political website The Hill, de Leon's measure was just one in a series of bills the Democratic-controlled Californian legislature would consider this year to deal with the state's handling of federal immigration laws.
People attend the Women's March to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump in Los Angeles, the United States, Jan. 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)
Two other measures would provide legal counsel to undocumented immigrants.
However, State Senator Joel Anderson of East San Diego County, who voted against the bill, expressed his concern Tuesday that it would "hamper efforts by the police to remove immigrants convicted of violent crimes from California."
Trump's supporters also showed up at the protests last weekend at the Los Angeles International Airport and pointed out the travel ban is "temporary," saying they just wanted to protect the United States against terror attacks, and they thought Trump's travel ban was a good first step.
In the fight over sanctuary status, California could also put billions of dollars in federal funding for California programs at risk.
Trump signed an executive order threatening to withdraw some federal grants from jurisdictions that bar officials from communicating with federal authorities about someone's immigration status.
Some local legal scholars questioned whether such an executive order was constitutional, based on the 10th Amendment and previous court precedents.
If Trump's Homeland Security department goes ahead with plans to block federal funding, the attorney general of California was ready, on behalf of the state, to file a suit against it, The Hill reported.
San Francisco sued Trump on Tuesday, claiming the executive order that cuts funding from sanctuary cities is unconstitutional and a "severe invasion of San Francisco's sovereignty."
