Pelosi Signs Letter Urging CA Gov. to Make State Sanctuary for Illegal Immigrants

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signed a letter urging California Governor Jerry Brown (D) to sign into law a bill that would make the state a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants who have not committed felonies or “serious” crimes. 

Pelosi joined 27 other California House Democrats in signing the letter.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the letter says the bill “establishes a bright line standard between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.” The letter asserts that deportations of illegal immigrants have “reduced the willingness of immigrant and non-immigrant crime victims and witnesses to cooperate with local law enforcement, and consequently has diminished public safety.”

The bill, Assembly Bill 4, was passed by the California Assembly in May but is awaiting a vote in the state Senate. Brown vetoed similar legislation last year; California legislators amended it to try to gain Brown’s support by reportedly giving police broader discretion “to expand the types of crimes and misdemeanors that could trigger the deportation process.”