A tough-on-crime ballot measure that appears destined to pass could lead to more Californians being deported, immigrant advocates warn.
Proposition 36 would reclassify certain misdemeanor drug and theft offenses as felonies, which means immigrants convicted of those crimes are more likely to face deportation if they have a case before an immigration court, the advocates said.
“It is not an understatement to say that if Prop. 36 passes, more Californians, including green-card holders, including refugees, will be deported,” said Grisel Ruiz, a supervising attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “The impacts will be pretty disastrous.”
In California, where almost half of all children have at least one parent who is an immigrant, advocates are worried the measure could have ripple effects for families and communities. The initiative on the Nov. 5 ballot would allow prosecutors to impose stricter and longer sentences by using prior convictions as sentence enhancements.
If Prop. 36 passes, more Californians, including green-card holders, including refugees, will be deported.
— Grisel Ruiz, supervising attorney with Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Under this new system, a simple drug possession charge with prior convictions could be considered an “aggravated felony” conviction in immigration court, which triggers the most severe penalties possible. In almost all cases, a person in immigration court with an “aggravated felony” on their record faces mandated deportation for life and loses all chances of immigration relief, Ruiz said.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, a Prop. 36…
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