Senator Wiener’s Statement on Senate Passage of Immigrant Protection Bills

April 3, 2017

Sacramento –  Today Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) offered the following statement in support of the passage of Senate Bill 54, authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon (D- Los Angeles), and Senate Bill 6, authored by Senator Ben Hueso (D- San Diego). SB 54, which Senator Wiener is co-authoring, prevents local and state enforcement authorities from becoming arms of federal immigration authorities. SB 6 creates a state program to fund legal protections for people facing deportation.

“Today the California Senate stood up for our immigrant neighbors, who have been slandered by Donald Trump and his allies as criminals and lawbreakers. These residents are our neighbors whose children go to our schools and who live, work, and pay taxes, side by side with us every day in our communities. The attacks coming out of Washington, D.C., are devastating to these immigrants and their families. Children fear going to school, because they aren't sure their parents will still be here at the end of the school day. People fear going to work, where they might be abducted in a raid and ripped away from loved ones. Our federal government is tearing families apart while making our communities less safe, since people are afraid to come out of the shadows to report crimes or serve as witnesses. The bills we passed today will help protect our immigrant neighbors, but they won’t deter President Trump and his allies from continuing to demonize and slander members of our community. Today is a victory for our immigrant communities, but the fight continues.”