On Thursday, the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, defied increasing criticism of his state’s sanctuary policies by signing a new bill that places strict limits on the manner in which the immigration status of an individual can be disclosed in open court. The Senate approved Bill 785 last week with bipartisan support in response to stories of undocumented immigrants being tracked down by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in courthouses across the US.
Immigrant advocates claim that the ICE tactic is resulting in immigrants being reluctant to testify in court, report crimes or even show up to pay tickets. One of the authors of the bill, Senator Scott Wiener, said on Thursday that courthouses should be places of justice and not areas where deportation becomes a threat for immigrants.
Wiener added that the new law will result in everyone in the community becoming safer by making sure that crime victims and witnesses will not be afraid to report crimes or go to court and that criminals will be accountable for their actions. There was no comment on the issue from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to Wiener’s office, several attorneys claim that revealing the immigration status of witnesses or victims in court cases has prevented others from coming forward. The law has already gone into effect and comes at a time when leaders of the Golden State are again at loggerheads with President Donald Trump on the issue of immigration.