The revolt against the State of California’s “sanctuary state” laws is growing in Orange County, with supervisors scheduled to discuss a resolution Tuesday condemning the state’s defiance of federal immigration law, and possibly directing the county to join the federal lawsuit against the Golden State.
The discussion, the Los Angeles Times notes, will take place in closed session, but the results will be closely watched, as numerous cities within the county are considering following the lead of Los Alamitos, which voted last week to defy the “sanctuary state” laws and join the federal lawsuit.
The Times reports:
These state laws are preempted by federal law,” Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson said. “Our officers actually face penalties under state law if they so much as talk to federal agents for the wrong thing. That’s just unacceptable and it’s contrary to federal law.”
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Other cities in the county, including Yorba Linda, Buena Park, Huntington Beach and Mission Viejo are also starting to take action to voice their grievances against the state’s sanctuary laws aimed at protecting immigrants from President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
In related news, on Monday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department decided to defy the state — and obey the federal government — by making public the release dates of inmates in its jails, including illegal aliens.
And more than a dozen Republican-governed states joined the federal government Monday in its lawsuit against California’s sanctuary state laws, which was filed in Sacramento earlier this month as Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited the city.
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing California over three laws: the Immigrant Worker Protection Act (HB 450), the Inspection and Review of Facilities Housing Federal Detainees law (AB 103), and the California Values Act (SB 54).
The battle over sanctuary cities in Orange County could have a big impact on midterm elections in California and nationwide. It could motivate Republican voters to turn out to the polls, counteracting an expected Democratic wave.
Democrats are targeting several Republicans in Orange County, after Hillary Clinton carried the county narrowly in the 2016 presidential election — the first time in decades that a Democrat had won the traditionally conservative county.
The California seats are considered crucial to Democrats’ goals of flipping 23 seats to regain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and putting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) back in the Speaker’s chair.
The National Republican Congressional Committee recently announced plans to open a new office in Irvine, meaning that both parties will have extensive field operations in Orange County, according to the Orange County Register.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named to Forward’s 50 “most influential” Jews in 2017. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.