In a previous post, we discussed how two important immigration-related bills -- designed to make it easier for those immigrants lacking citizenship to live and work here in California -- were currently sitting on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown who had until yesterday to either sign them into law or veto them.
In recent developments, one of these bills is now law, while the other failed to move forward.
The first of these bills, The Transparency and Responsibility Using State Tools Act or the TRUST Act was vetoed by Governor Brown.
Sponsored by Rep. Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the Trust Act would have mandated that law enforcement agencies throughout California only hold those immigrants who have previously been convicted by the state of a serious or violent felony for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
It was essentially designed to limit the reach of Secure Communities -- the controversial federal immigration detention/deportation program now in effect throughout much of the nation.
Interestingly, Brown indicated that he was generally supportive of federal immigration reform in a message accompanying the veto.
"[Federal agents] shouldn't try to coerce local law enforcement officials into detaining people who've been picked up for minor offenses and pose no reasonable threat to their community," read the statement in part.
However, he stated that he could not sign the "fatally flawed" Trust Act into law since its list of felonies failed to include many serious crimes, including child abuse, weapons violations and drug trafficking.
He did vow to work with lawmakers to amend the wording of the bill
While the Trust Act failed, Assembly Bill 2189 was signed by the governor.
Assembly Bill 2189, sponsored by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), will enable those young people who secure work permits via the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to obtain driver's licenses.
Advocates say that the bill, which passed with bi-partisan support, will serve to make California's roads safer, and help young people get to both work and school.
Stay tuned for more from our Los Angeles County immigration law blog ...
This post was provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.
Source:
Fox News Latino, "California legislation gives undocumented immigrants license to drive," Oct. 1, 2012
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