Huffington Post (Op-Ed)
By Angie Junck
October 21, 2015
Daily
headlines and the inflammatory rhetoric from the Republican party have
led immigrant communities and advocates to fear the rise of radical, new
policies that both
exclude and discriminate against immigrants. In the current campaign
cycle, fierce anti-immigrant rhetoric is essentially a litmus test for
GOP candidates.
But
while unrealistic and inhumane ideas surrounding immigrant detention
and deportation continue to grab headlines -- state legislators on the
front lines of the immigration
policy debate have taken a decidedly different tack: passing practical
and meaningful reforms that will measurably improve the lives of
immigrants.
This
month, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a host of new
measures that include: drug law reform to limit the disproportionate
impact of federal consequences
including on immigrants, providing enhanced humanitarian relief for
children and youth, ensuring due process of law for immigrants, and
protecting immigrant victims of crime. Taken together, these new laws
focus on helping the most marginalized within the
immigrant community, including youth and those with run-ins with the
criminal justice system. Once California fully implements these new
measures, they will embody significant progress towards strengthening
California families and communities and furthering
the state's legacy as a leader in implementing smart, effective, and
morally sound immigration policies.
As
other states wrestle with how to create inclusive immigrant policies,
the California legislature's bold steps should serve as a roadmap.
California's demographics help
to illustrate why inclusive and compassionate policies are not only a
reflection of our national commitment to honor the rights and dignity of
everyone, but also sound economic policy.
Immigrants
are integral to the social fabric of our state. Half of California's
children live in households headed by at least one foreign-born parent
and undocumented
immigrants comprise nearly 10 percent of California's workforce. Simply
put, it's in everyone's interest for the men and women who form the
backbone of some of California's most fundamental economic sectors --
such as agriculture, food services, construction,
textiles, and domestic services -- to have the protections essential to
continue working, supporting, and contributing to our state.
While
the new laws each contain vital and overdue protections, it wouldn't be
accurate to call them novel or surprising. Instead, these laws
represent common-sense reforms
to ensure that immigrants are provided equal protection under the law.
For example, AB 899, the Juvenile Confidentiality Bill, protects
immigrant youth from fear of deportation by protecting their records
from unauthorized disclosure to federal officials,
including immigration authorities.
AB
1343 is a straightforward solution to a problem most people probably
take for granted as it requires defense attorneys to provide accurate
advice to immigrants who
interact with the justice system, while prosecutors must consider as
one factor the potential and often devastating immigration consequences
of a criminal case. AB 900 closes the gap between federal and California
law to make sure that as many immigrant children
as possible have access to humanitarian relief. Another bill, AB 1352,
ensures that immigrants aren't punished a second time for crimes they
have already served their time for.
On
the national stage, it seems likely Congress will remain gridlocked on
major immigration policy measures while GOP candidates continue their
anti-immigrant posturing.
Meanwhile, California will continue to lead the country, implementing
new measures to improve the lives of immigrant communities, setting the
standard for other states to follow.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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