(Headline USA) California lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would use taxpayer funds to pay for legal aid for illegal immigrants convicted of violent crimes.
The bill—called the Representation, Equity and Protections (REP) for all Immigrants Act—would remove restrictions on grant funds for legal services, so that those services could be offered to illegals convicted of violent or serious felonies.
The grant funds are a part of the One California program, which provides free immigration legal services to “immigrant communities,” including those facing deportation and those applying for asylum. But it bars those legal services from being offered to illegals convicted of certain crimes.
The REP for all Immigrants Act would lift those restrictions and expand the services provided by the program to include interpreters, social services and litigation costs.
In a statement, Assemblyman Reggie Jones–Sawyer, who introduced the bill, argued he did so because the current One California program “has failed to match California’s commitment to equity, as the program prohibits funds from being used to assist certain individuals who had past interactions with the criminal legal system.”
Violent illegals also deserve a “second chance,” Jones–Sawyer argued.
“For as long as I have been in state office, I have worked towards ensuring people are given a second chance and have championed efforts to prevent people from being treated as second-class individuals,” he continued. “The REP for All Immigrants Act ensures racial justice and truly equitable access to crucial immigration services for all—not some.”
California Republicans blasted the bill as “completely unacceptable” and slammed Democrats’ priorities.
“Why do they want to prioritize immigrant rapists & murderers over everyone else??” Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez tweeted.
BAD BILL ALERT: CA Dems are pushing a bill for illegal immigrants convicted of violent felonies to receive taxpayer-funded legal aid & avoid deportation! AB 2031 is completely UNACCEPTABLE. Why do they want to prioritize immigrant rapists & murderers over everyone else?? #caleg pic.twitter.com/m8qOA2xZSP
— Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (@AsmKateSanchez) March 10, 2024
“It blows my mind,” Sanchez added in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “Honestly, it was one of those bills that you have to read two to three times, and it was shocking all the way through.”
