1,500 troops will be stationed at the US-Mexico border

From CalMatters’ Wendy Fry:

In a major escalation of immigration enforcement, the Pentagon said today that 1,500 active-duty troops will be stationed at the US-Mexico border.

This follows President Donald Trump’s executive orders from “Day One” ostensibly aimed at strengthening border security. The troops’ responsibilities will include operating helicopters, assisting Border Patrol agents, providing air support for deportation flights and helping to build barriers, according to multiple officials familiar with the orders. The deployment complements the roughly 2,500 National Guard and Reserve forces already stationed at the border.

An escalation in the militarization of the border could further strain US-Mexico relations. U.S. Consul General in Tijuana Christopher Thiel said Wednesday that Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are scheduled to speak by phone this week.

The Trump administration is also reviewing the Insurgency Act to see if it could allow the use of military units for law enforcement, a move that would seriously stretch the boundaries of existing laws preventing military involvement in domestic affairs. Such use of the military would undoubtedly face immediate legal challenges.

Meanwhile, the federal Department of Justice is strengthening its position directing prosecutors to investigate state and local officials who “obstruct” federal immigration efforts, potentially leading to criminal charges.

CalMatters previously reported how a a conservative organization led by Trump adviser Stephen Miller sent letters to California leaders and former San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas days before Christmas, warning they could go to jail over sanctuary policies that protect undocumented residents.

A memo from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emile Beauvais said state and local actors who refuse to provide information about the immigration status of residents to federal authorities should be reported to the Department of Justice.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the memo “a scare tactic, plain and simple.”

• Bontain an emailed statement: “My team is reviewing the US Department of Justice memorandum and we will be prepared to take legal action if the Trump administration’s vague threats turn out to be illegal.”

Dozens of disabled workers lose their jobs at the Vacaville prisonafter the state lost a years-long labor dispute with California’s largest public employee union.

Like CalMatters Joe Garcia explains that for nearly a decade, California Correctional Health Services (the state agency that oversees medical care in state prisons) has contracted with PRIDE Industries, a nonprofit organization that provides employment and training to workers with disabilities.

But the Service Employees International Union Local 1000 contested the agreement, saying those jobs must by law be filled by government employees, not outside contractors. The state personnel board agreed with the union, prompting a medical prison in Vacaville to lay off all 60 PRIDE employees by February.

That includes Kathy Hart, a 57-year-old woman with lupus who has worked at the facility for three years.

• Hart: “Just because I have a disability, I don’t have to rely on my Social Security. I can pay my car note and insurance. I can pay for my medicine.

Read more here.

CalMatters Homeless Reporter Marissa Kendall:

It’s that time of year again: When California counts its homeless population.

This week and next, thousands of counters will fan out across the state to count every homeless person they see sleeping on the street, in a car or in a caravan. The results of this “point-in-time census” will be collected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and used for everything from allocating federal funds to making state and local policy.

Last year’s census was more than 187,000 homeless Californians.

The count is far from perfect – you’re bound to miss people sleeping in hidden areas or on a friend’s couch. Some counties have changed their methods, making year-to-year comparisons difficult. Santa Clara County, for example, hired a new vendor for the census this week in an effort to get more accurate data.

Not every county in California participates. The feds require the census every two years, and many did last year.

Other counties that count this year include Riverside, Fresno, San Diego, Contra Costa and Santa Cruz. Los Angeles County has postponed its census because of the wildfires.