For two years, State Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo of Los Angeles tried to push through a bill to stop noncitizens from being transferred to federal immigration authorities after finishing their sentences in California prisons and jails.
But the measure failed to pass the legislature last year, despite passionate support from Latino and Southeast Asian immigrant advocates. Backers say they’re trying to end the “double-punishment” of undocumented individuals and legal permanent residents that is disproportionately affecting their communities.
Now Carrillo is back with a narrower version of the bill, which aims to bar many — but not all — immigrant handovers.
“We will do whatever it takes to ensure that the immigrant community — regardless of their legal status, or where they were born — receive the same kind of judicial treatment that is equal to everyone else,” Carrillo said from the State Capitol, where the bill cleared the Assembly Public Safety Committee Tuesday.
What the legislation calls for
The new legislation would apply to noncitizens coming out of the state prison system who fall into certain categories, including those who received clemency from the governor or who are sick and dying.
Unlike the previous version, the new measure would not cover non-citizens being held in county jails, which vary in their levels of cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The question is whether the modified bill will be more palatable to those who opposed the original measure, which fell three votes shy of the 21 needed for passage in the State Senate.
Carrillo’s fellow Democrat State Sen. Susan Talamantes, who…
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