After repeatedly suing the administration of US President Donald Trump over the nation’s immigration policies, California yesterday found itself in an unusual position: defending protections for people in the country illegally against a court challenge by the federal government.
US Judge John Mendez in Sacramento was to hear arguments from attorneys for the state and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) about a federal request to block three California laws. He was not expected to rule immediately.
One of the laws requires the state to review detention facilities where immigrants are held. Another bars law enforcement from providing release dates and personal information of people in jail, and the third bars employers from allowing immigration officials on their premises unless the officials have a warrant.
Photo: AFP
The laws, two of which went into effect in January, follow Trump’s promises to ramp up deportations.
The administration has tried to crack down on so-called sanctuary jurisdictions by restricting funding if they refuse to help federal agents detain and deport immigrants.
California, which this year became the second “sanctuary state,” has resisted that move. The state has filed more than 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration, mostly over immigration and environmental decisions, and notched some significant court victories.
The hearing comes amid scrutiny of the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on illegal US crossings, leaving hundreds of children separated from their families.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined other top state prosecutors in a letter on Tuesday to the department condemning the practice as inhumane and saying it raises serious legal concerns.
The federal government says in its lawsuit against California that the US Constitution gives it pre-
eminent power to regulate immigration, and the state cannot obstruct immigration enforcement efforts.
In challenging the three state laws, federal officials say they need inmate information to safely take custody of people in the country illegally who are dangerous and need to be removed.
The law on detention facility inspections could lead private contractors to stop holding immigrants, and the restriction on accessing businesses eliminates a “critical enforcement tool” to fight illegal employment, they say.
“Separately and in concert, the challenged provisions have the purpose and effect of impeding enforcement of the immigration laws and impermissibly discriminating against the United States,” department attorneys said in court documents.
California officials say their sanctuary policies increase public safety by promoting trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
The administration is trying to assume powers that have long been understood to belong to states and cannot show that California’s policies are causing harm, the state said in court documents.
There is no evidence that the law barring release dates and personal information is causing more dangerous immigrants to be freed or that detention facilities intend to end their contracts with the federal government because of the inspection requirement, California said.
Moreover, the law restricting access to work sites explicitly authorizes compliance with inspections of employment records to make sure employees are allowed to work in the US. it added.
California has moved to dismiss the lawsuit.
Mendez, who was nominated to the federal bench in 2007 by then-US president George W. Bush, also planned to hear arguments about that request yesterday.
“The laws reflect the legislature’s best determinations on a number of critical issues, such as how the state provides for public safety, protects workers and the workplace, and safeguards all residents’ rights,” California said in its motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of