Introduce state laws to protect undocumented immigrants
State Assemblymember David Chiu (CA Assembly District 17)
Sacramento Office: (916) 319-2017
SF Office: (415) 557-3013
My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
Please co-author or re-introduce SB 28, which Sen. Lara is no longer to advance as he is now the Insurance Commissioner.
Please create a permanent special fund to ensure that every Californian who goes before immigration court has adequate legal representation.
Background
SB 28 allows all California residents to serve on state boards and commissions (currently it's U.S. Citizens only). Chiu co-authored the same bill (SB 174) last session, which former Gov. Brown vetoed.
5% of California residents are considered "illegal" under California law, and they need our protection from the Trump administration. Currently deportation proceedings happen before an "immigration court," where there is no right (under federal law) to a lawyer, unless you pay for one yourself. Chiu sponsored budget line items in the single-digit millions of dollars to help fund immigration lawyers last year, but California could easily afford to guarantee representation in immigration court on a permanent basis.
Current immigration laws are moral outrage. All Californians deserve to be treated with dignity, regardless of whether the Trump administration and federal law considers them "illegal."