A proposal that would utilize tax dollars to pay for access to a lawyer for illegal immigrants found guilty of major and/or violent crimes and facing deportation is being considered by the California Assembly.
Serious Offenders Catch a Break
An existing government program that pays $45 million annually to support low-income illegal immigrants’ procedures in immigration court would be expanded under a proposal from a Los Angeles assemblyman.
The state’s One California program would be expanded by Democratic Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer’s suggestion.
This would also include illegal immigrants looking at punitive measures in the form of deportation, after being found to have committed a criminal act in the country and serving a court-ordered term.
In federal immigration court at the moment, convicted felons are not entitled to state-funded legal assistance.
Although free legal services are guaranteed in criminal court by the American legal system, it does not apply to immigration courts, which have been run by the Justice Department.
The California legislature is considering a bill that would use taxpayer money to cover the costs of legal representation for illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes and now face deportation.https://t.co/GvUPJAlyL2
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 18, 2023
One California was put up by the state to offer around 1,000 illegal immigrants in California counsel while they manage imprisonment in federal custody, the expulsion processes, and being divided from a member of the family by the government.
To promote racial fairness and truly equity of access to vital immigration services for everyone, not just a few, is how Jones-Sawyer has characterized the initiative.
Bill Essayli, a Republican assemblyman from Riverside, opposed the notion on the grounds that criminal court provided due process to illegal aliens facing immigration court.
#RightBias
California could fund deportation defense for immigrants with violent felonieshttps://t.co/2ncMYCUC7V
17 Mar 2023The California legislature is considering a bill that would use taxpayer money to cover the costs of legal ..#FrontPage qt-fp-1405 #BorderObserver pic.twitter.com/8E5bnVWnGx
— The Border Observer (@borderObserver) March 19, 2023
Essayli maintains that in a criminal proceeding, everyone has a right to a defense. He says that the persons they are talking about in this situation have already received their government-funded defense and been found guilty of a major crime.
He continued by saying that the taxpayers of California should not, in his opinion, be forced to foot the bill for the defense of a convicted felon’s deportation proceedings.
Those who opposed the plan were worried that if it passed, the state’s $22.5 billion fiscal shortfall would widen. There has been no cost analysis for the bill’s implementation.
California Now Soft on Crime
Before going to the floor for a vote, the bill must pass in the California House Judiciary Committee. Last week was the first time that the committee actually met. What kind of crime would see one deported from America, you may ask?
Crimes of moral turpitude make up the majority of California’s “Deportable Crimes” categories (CIMT).
Rape, arson, and murder are some of these offenses. You risk facing deportation if you are found guilty of one of these offenses and receive a jail term of one to more than five years within five years of your admission to the United States.
This article appeared in Conservative Cardinal and has been published here with permission.
