CNN: California lawmakers prepare to resist Trump’s mass deportation plans
By Katharine Wilson
The California State Legislature is hosting a special session this week that lawmakers say will help safeguard the state against President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The incoming Trump administration’s plans to implement strict border measures, strike down Biden-era policies, and kick off the detention and deportation of migrants at large scale are underway — and one of the biggest concerns for Democrats in the Golden State.
While other states are willing to assist in enforcing federal immigration law, Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla said California leaders believe they are under no obligation to do so.
“We’re not going to utilize state and local resources to do the federal government’s job for them,” Padilla said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
Indiscriminate deportation of undocumented immigrants would tear communities apart and cause tremendous damage to the economy, Padilla said. And using state or local law enforcement for immigration duties could harm public safety, the senator said, because immigrants who are witnesses to crimes may be afraid to come forward.
However, Padilla said Democrats and Republicans would agree to a focus on deporting violent criminal, which some Trump allies have emphasized as the first step in his plan.
“It doesn’t have to be a conflict unless that’s what Trump wants,” Padilla said.
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