California Governor Jerry Brown’s revised budget last week proposed $15 million to pay for the legal defenses of illegal aliens facing deportation, Jon Fleischman reports at Breitbart News. And Democrats want even more money for that purpose.
Fleischman notes: “Buried deep among billions of dollars in proposed new spending are millions of dollars for the state to provide criminal defense for illegal immigrants in California who are facing deportation to their home country by our own federal government.”
The Los Angeles Times adds (original link):
The one-time cash infusion would boost the state government’s financial help to those in the country illegally to $33 million. Immigrant rights groups and lawyers hailed the increased funding in Brown’s revised state budget, calling it a signal that the state is committed to protecting families from what could happen under President Trump.
The Times notes that Democrats have proposed even more spending on lawyers for illegal aliens, including those convicted of crimes. One bill would includes “a $14-million request to provide legal training, written materials, mentoring and technical assistance to county public defenders on the immigration consequences of criminal convictions” (original links).
Further, the Times adds: “Another bill seeks to create a $12-million legal defense program for immigrants facing deportation who do not have a violent felony on their records, while a third would increase legal counsel for deported veterans, depending on available funding in the annual budget” (original links).
Legal aid for deported veterans has bipartisan support in the state legislature. However, the state’s small Republican minority opposes most of the other proposals.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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