The Pros And Cons Of California Sanctuary State Law

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Understanding various sides to California’s Sanctuary State Law (Wendi) California Sanctuary State Law The California Sanctuary State Law has complicated the concept of sanctuary cities in California. This law limits cooperation between local officials and federal immigration enforcement, especially in deporting undocumented immigrants who face no criminal charges. Measures range from treating schools, courthouses and hospitals as “safe zones” to restricting the ability of local police to detain people on behalf of federal immigration. The law does nothing to curtail the ability of federal agents to come into the state and deport people or carry out raids, but it does make such actions more difficult for agencies with limited resources (Steinmetz, …show more content…

For Oakland, it is about trust and citizenship. Oakland’s Mayor Libby Schaaf informed her constituents of ICE raids in the Bay Area before they happened. She believed the threat was imminent and therefore was an obligation to give fair warning. Undocumented immigrants may be more likely to report crimes or otherwise cooperate with the police if they do not fear deportation. For others it’s about protecting the rights of immigrants in the state. Immigrants contribute to both the economy and culture of California. They find the actions of ICE verge on unconstitutional and may violate provisions in the Bill of Rights. Others point to the positive impact immigrants have on the state. Immigrants typically fill much-needed jobs in California, particularly in agriculture. Without access to an immigrant workforce, many California farmers would have trouble harvesting their crops. The people believe that California can best determine who is a threat to the state and who is …show more content…

While citizens of Fresno may identify with the needs of immigrants, the city of Fresno needs money. Fresno is in conflict with the sanctuary state law because now they become a target for federal retaliation. President Trump has threatened to limit federal grants, particularly in areas of law and order (Kopan, 2018). For example, in 2016 California was awarded $30.5 million from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant program, which is administered by the Department of Justice. The Justice Department has used this fund to try to pressure sanctuary cities into cooperating. On the other hand, because Fresno is poor, cooperating with ICE potentially puts a strain on their budget and resources. From their perspective, if the federal government wants more active immigration enforcement, they should hire more ICE agents and conduct their own immigration status checks (Hess,