On March 6, 2018, the Trump administration decided to take action to oppose California by filing a lawsuit amounting in a pre-emptive strike against their three “Sanctuary State” laws.
Current California law protects undocumented immigrants by establishing statewide non-cooperative policies between state law enforcement officials and federal immigration authorities. These laws prohibit the state and local law enforcement agencies from detaining an individual the federal government has on a hold request unless there is a felony or a warrant transferring undocumented immigrants into federal custody. If these immigrants have been convicted in the last fifteen years of a crime listed on California’s Trust Act or if the individual is a registered sex offender, they can be detained by officials. Moreover, the law prohibits asking about a person’s immigration status or sharing any information with federal immigration authorities that is not available to the general public.
Although this immigration law is within federal jurisdiction, California laws and policies have significant impact on immigrants living in the Golden State. California, as a whole, is considered a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants even if this conflicts with federal policies. Although this is a good thing for undocumented immigrants, President Trump has been adamant on limiting the number of illegal immigrants being granted access into America. California is known for being home to the largest number of immigrants in the United States, accepting settlers all the way back to the 17th century. In 2015, 10.7 million foreign-born individuals comprised 27.3 percent of the population. In addition, one in four residents is a native-born U.S. citizen with at least one immigrant parent.
In 2010, when President Obama was in office, Arizona had a different problem with illegal immigration. Instead of loosening their immigration laws like California, Arizona passed a law requiring state and local police to investigate the immigration status of anyone they reasonably suspected of being an illegal immigrant. The Obama Administration then proceeded to sue Arizona calling the law unconstitutional and claimed that it would drain law enforcement resources. The Republican controlled Arizona legislature passed this law hoping to control the millions of illegal immigrants from crossing the border from Mexico. They hoped this would eliminate the drug trafficking and other various crimes in the area. While the Republicans in Arizona wanted border security to be improved, the Obama Administration argued that immigration is the responsibility of the federal government, not the state.
It is obvious that America has had a problem with illegal immigration and border security for years. Both democrats and republicans have vastly different views on immigration and are currently not in a hurry to solve any of these problems. Time and time again the failure of our “so called” leaders with regard to immigration has been made clear that nothing will be resolved anytime soon. Both President Trump and California are stubborn about their own opinions on what is best for the country, and unfortunately, it will be American citizens who will have to take the fall for political neglect.