California resisting federal crackdown
January 22, 2018
Mike Huckabee
California is not only ordering police not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities under the new “sanctuary state” for illegal immigrants law, but last week, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra threatened employers with fines of up to $10,000 if they cooperate with federal authorities on reviewing employee citizenship records without a warrant. That takes the defiance of federal law beyond government actions and into coercing private citizens to defy federal authority. Between this and the “secede” movement, California’s leaders really seem to be following the blueprint that worked out so well for the Confederacy.
At the link is an excellent article by George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley, pointing out how Becerra and other California officials are practically teeing up a case for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take to the Supreme Court against them. Most interesting tidbit: just five years ago, when Arizona was trying to enforce federal immigration laws that Obama was refusing to enforce, and the Obama Administration took them to court, California filed a brief in support of Obama’s position, arguing that federal law solely dictates immigration policy, not state laws. I guess that only applies when you disagree with the state laws.
And here’s the real capper: can you guess who wrote that brief, arguing that states have no right to defy federal immigration laws? Then-state Attorney General, now-Senator and great liberal presidential hope, Kamala Harris.