California provides legal remedies for immigrants

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The governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday the allocation of state funds to help immigrants affected by the Trump administration’s detention and mass deportation program.

His office is giving away $35 million that the Legislature set aside in the state budget to help philanthropic partners connect immigrant families with food assistance and other basic needs.

The money is added to funds set aside to provide for California legal resources for immigrants facing deportation.

“When federal actions create fear and instability, it is our responsibility to support families. This investment strengthens local partners who are helping people access legal services and meet their basic needs at an incredibly difficult time,” said Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

California found support funding despite severe budget constraints. Newsom’s office is projecting a $2.9 billion deficit in the next budget year and the state limited medical care for unauthorized immigrants this year to help resolve a larger shortfall in 2025.

A spokesman for Newsom said the governor has listened directly to immigrant families and community leaders. “People are afraid to leave home, go to school or work and cannot afford to buy food,” the spokesman said. CalMatters reported on families in agricultural worker communities who refuse critical medical care.

The People’s Assembly Carl DeMaio R-San Diego, called the allocation of funds “absurd.”

“If the IRS audits you and finds that you owe money and taxes, you’re not going to be able to say, as a citizen, ‘Well, I want a free lawyer to fight the federal government,'” DeMaio said.

The state senator Lena Gonzalez chairman of the California Latino Legislative Caucus and a Long Beach Democrat, said the funding means Democrats are supporting immigrant families.

“The federal government is waging war on our communities and we will not tolerate it,” he said. “We are investing money in an initiative to end fear, stop the separation of our families and stop the violation of our basic rights.”

President Donald Trump has vowed to wage the largest deportation campaign in US history. In June, he signed a budget bill that includes $170 billion for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation over four years. This record federal investment aims to facilitate the deportation of up to one million people a year.

State immigration legal services funds have restrictions that prevent them from being used to help people with felony or serious felony convictions fight deportations. California’s asylum law does not prevent state corrections staff from transferring people convicted of serious or serious crimes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation.