FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug 25, 2017

Dave Marin
California Freedom Coalition
dave@CalFreeCo.org

Autonomy Initiative group endorses ‘sanctuary state’ bill calls for carve-out from federal immigration law

San Francisco, CA : California Freedom Coalition, the grassroots non-profit behind the initiative “California Autonomy from Federal Government,” endorsed SB 54 (De León D-Los Angeles), which minimizes collaboration between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

The group’s initiative calls out the federal government for “arbitrarily enforcing a broken immigration system that consigns more than two million Californians permanently to the shadows.”

“California, like the other 49 states, has been built with immigrant blood, sweat, and tears, and those workers have been traditionally assimilated into communities which were already melting-pots,” said board member and political activist Cindy Sheehan from her home in Vacaville, CA. “While we are working for independence from the US, I welcome any initiative that shows innovation and separation from the oppressive systems of that country.”

The California Freedom Coalition also called on the state government to revisit the Golden State Residency Program, an idea proposed by the state’s Little Hoover Commission in 2002, in the publication “We The People: Helping Newcomers Become Californians.” The program would affirmatively recognize some undocumented residents as part of California’s society, while requiring that participants demonstrate responsibility to their local community (including abiding by the law) and would seek citizenship if and when the opportunity arises, among other criteria.

“Intentionally or not, SB 54 wades into the debate about which undocumented residents we consider Californians, by specifying that the state has no intention of standing up for people convicted of a violent felony,” said Dave Marin, Director of Research and Policy for the California Freedom Coalition. “We believe Californians should have a greater say, through our state government, on who should be allowed to live and work in our state.”

Marin also pointed out that rules for legal residency and work eligibility are uniform across states as a matter of federal policy, not because the U.S. Constitution requires it, and that nothing would prevent Congress from creating different rules for California. “Lobbying for a carve-out from federal immigration law is a surprising idea to a lot of people, but given anti-immigrant sentiment and the failure of the federal government to make any significant reform to immigration law since 1986, it might be a more realistic path forward for California.”

About The California Freedom Coalition: The CFC is a not for profit, non-partisan organization that was formed to educate and advocate for the voting rights of California. We are a grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring that California and its nearly 40 million citizens and residents have a truly proportionate voice and vote in electing a national government that reflects their values, intentions and expectations. Please visit our website at calfreeco.org .
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