The ICE Out of LA coalition was on hand to urge the supervisors to move quickly to institute proposed protections for undocumented immigrants, including a legal defense fund for residents threatened with deportation.
Holding signs calling for “representation, not deportation” and chanting “no Trump; no KKK; no fascist U.S.A.!,” the pro-immigrant group voiced its support of the board’s efforts to protect residents from potential changes in federal policy.
“We can’t stay silent,” said coalition spokeswoman Edna Monroy.
In December, in response to a proposal by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, the board directed its lawyers and staffers to analyze how changes in federal funding could impact county services provided to immigrants and investigate what the county can do to prevent federal immigration enforcement at courts, schools and hospitals.
Solis and Kuehl held a news conference Tuesday morning to reiterate their commitment to that work, including a proposal to protect the data and identities of immigrants and a potential Office of Immigrant Affairs.
But outside, Monroy and her allies were competing with an equally vocal group of anti-immigrant organizations.
Middle-aged white women wearing T-shirts with the slogan “A Stolen Life” and pictures of victims of crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants were joined by a racially diverse group of protesters holding signs reading “Keep Refugees Out” and “No Sanctuary Cities.”
A tall, black man in a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap said the group was “trying to promote Donald Trump’s policies.”
Saying the message was “America for Americans,” Robert Peete of Make California Great Again said taxpayer money should be used for other purposes.
“There are white people in Long Beach living in the canal,” Peete said. “I’ve never seen that in my lifetime.”
Others chanted “Build That Wall” as the two groups battled megaphone-to-megaphone, shouting back and forth and jockeying for room and camera angles on the outdoor stairs leading to the county boardroom.
Sheriff’s deputies stepped in more than once, speaking with representatives from both sides and trying to keep the peace.
Monroy said the two groups often end up in the same venue and there has sometimes been pushing and shoving, but no serious injuries have resulted.
The rallies broke up without incident, with leaders from both sides heading indoors to speak before the board, where Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas was forced to repeatedly caution them to stop shouting and disrupting the session.
“Why don’t you try respecting each other and everything will be fine,” Ridley-Thomas said.
Staffers reported that the vast majority of county departments offer services — including medical care and a public school education — to residents without regard to immigration status and do not maintain records on residents’ status. One exception is the Department of Public Social Services, which is required by law to share that information.
Sheriff Jim McDonnell sought to assure residents that his department relies on community trust.
If people do not come forward to report crimes due to fear of deportation, “we’ll have more to worry about and fear than the words spoken on the presidential campaign trail,” McDonnell said.
He said his deputies would not arrest anyone based solely on their immigration status, calling that a “promise” as well as a department policy that is also written into law.
Assistant Sheriff Kelly Harrington conceded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are at county jails “almost on a daily basis,” but said that less than 1 percent of inmates released from local jails are turned over to ICE agents.
Harrington said thousands of inmates had been released to ICE annually prior to enactment of the state Truth and Trust acts, which limited ICE hold requests, but put current numbers at closer to 1,000 each year.
Other speakers disagreed.
An “ICE hold gets put on all the clients I’ve seen go through the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department,” said Amanda Schuft of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. She gave the example of one mentally ill man who spent a weekend in jail for petty theft and was held in ICE custody for two years.
Others argued that the board members weren’t doing what they were elected to do.
“California is under siege,” Tami Terusa of Californians for Trump told the supervisors, warning that the state “is going to be ground zero” in the fight to end sanctuary cities.
Some saw President-elect Donald Trump as a savior.
“This is an attack against the federal government,” said Shirley Husar of Urban Game Changers. “As of January 20, we are asking that Donald J. Trump come and intervene on our behalf.”
Supervisor Kathryn Barger urged her colleagues to press for immigration reform at the federal level, saying she believed that there was bipartisan support for protecting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
“We have a responsibility to address this on the federal level and not continue to keep these people in the shadows and continue to give them a reason to hide,” Barger said.
More than 120 people signed up to speak before the board on the issue and dozens had that opportunity. But after a near-continuous series of outbursts and warnings, Ridley-Thomas called the board into a closed-door session.
The board returned roughly 90 minutes later and, acting on a motion by Solis, voted 4-1 to establish an Office of Immigrant Affairs. Barger cast the dissenting vote.
The board also directed departments not to ask about immigration status unless required by law and proposed that the county’s Office of Education consider a senior-level position to oversee immigrants’ concerns.
Previous related stories:
County approves $3 million in contributions for legal aid fund
County to seek legal aid for immigrants facing deportation
L.A. County officials push back against threats of deportation
CA university leaders urge Trump to keep DACA program
L.A. County Supervisor calls for immigrant protections
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5 Myths About Undocument Immigrants says
To all ignorant and racist fools, enjoy this article and have a nice weekend!
Myth # 1: They don’t pay taxes
Undocumented immigrants are already U.S. taxpayers
Collectively, they paid an estimated $10.6 billion to state and local taxes in 2010, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a research organization that works on tax policy issues. Contributions varied by state. In Montana they contributed $2 million. In California, more than $2.2 billion. On average they pay about 6.4% of their income in state and local taxes, ITEP said.
A 2007 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the impact of undocumented immigrants on the budgets of local and state governments cited IRS figures showing that 50% to 75% of the about 11 million unauthorized U.S. immigrants file and pay income taxes each year.
A 2013 CBO analysis of the failed bipartisan bill introduced by the so-called “gang of 8” that would have created a path to legal status for many undocumented immigrants found that increasing legal immigration would increase government spending on refundable tax credits, Medicaid and health insurance subsidies, among other federal benefits. But it would also create even more tax revenue by way of income and payroll taxes. That could reduce deficits by $175 billion over the first 10 years and by at least $700 billion in the second decade.
ITEP estimates that allowing certain immigrants to stay in the country and work legally would boost state and local tax contributions by $2 billion a year.
Myth # 2: They don’t pay into Social Security
The truth is that undocumented immigrants contribute more in payroll taxes than they will ever consume in public benefits.
Take Social Security. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), unauthorized immigrants — who are not eligible to receive Social Security benefits — have paid an eye-popping $100 billion into the fund over the past decade.
“They are paying an estimated $15 billion a year into Social Security with no intention of ever collecting benefits,” Stephen Goss, chief actuary of the SSA told CNNMoney. “Without the estimated 3.1 million undocumented immigrants paying into the system, Social Security would have entered persistent shortfall of tax revenue to cover payouts starting in 2009,” he said.
As the baby boom generation ages and retires, immigrant workers are key to shoring up Social Security and counteracting the effects of the decline in U.S.-born workers paying into the system, Goss said.
Without immigrants, the Social Security Board of Trustees projects that the system will no longer be able to pay the full promised benefits by 2037.
Myth #3: They drain the system
Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits. Most of these programs require proof of legal immigration status and under the 1996 welfare law, even legal immigrants cannot receive these benefits until they have been in the United States for more than five years.
Non-citizen immigrant adults and children are about 25% less likely to be signed up for Medicaid than their poor native-born equivalents and are also 37% less likely to receive food stamps, according to a 2013 study by the Cato Institute.
Citizen children of illegal immigrants — often derogatorily referred to as “anchor babies” — do qualify for social benefits. Also, undocumented immigrants are eligible for schooling and emergency medical care. Currently, the average unlawful immigrant household costs taxpayers $14,387 per household, according to a recent report by The Heritage Foundation. But in its 2013 “Immigration Myths and Facts” report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says most economists see providing these benefits as an investment for the future, when these children become workers and taxpayers.
A CBO report on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 concluded that a path to legalization for immigrants would increase federal revenues by $48 billion. Such a plan would see $23 billion in increased costs from the use of public services, but ultimately, it would produce a surplus of $25 billion for government coffers, CBO said.
Myth # 4: They take American jobs
The American economy needs immigrant workers.
The belief that immigrants take jobs that can otherwise be filled by hard-working Americans has been disputed by an overwhelming number of economic research studies and data.
Removing the approximately 8 million unauthorized workers in the United States would not automatically create 8 million job openings for unemployed Americans, said Daniel Griswold, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, in his 2011 testimony before the House Judiciary Sub-committee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
The reason, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is two-fold. For one, removing millions of undocumented workers from the economy would also remove millions of entrepreneurs, consumers and taxpayers. The economy would actually lose jobs. Second, native-born workers and immigrant workers tend to possess different skills that often complement one another.
According to Griswold, immigrants, regardless of status, fill the growing gap between expanding low-skilled jobs and the shrinking pool of native-born Americans who are willing to take such jobs. By facilitating the growth of such sectors as retail, agriculture, landscaping, restaurants, and hotels, low-skilled immigrants have enabled those sectors to expand, attract investment, and create middle-class jobs in management, design and engineering, bookkeeping, marketing and other areas that employ U.S. citizens.
America’s unions support the president’s executive action. “For far too long, our broken immigration system has allowed employers to drive down wages and working conditions in our country,” the AFL-CIO says on its website. “The brunt of the impact has been born by immigrant workers, who face the highest rates of wage theft, sexual harassment, and death and injury on the job.”
Myth # 5: It’s just a matter of following the law
Many Americans want immigrants to enter the country legally.
But under current immigration laws, there are very few options for legal immigration, the costs are increasingly prohibitive and the wait for any kind of status can be long and frustrating.
According to the State Department, that imaginary “immigration line” is already 4.4 million people long and depending on the type of visa sought and the country of origin, the wait can be years to decades long. In some countries, such as the Philippines and Mexico people have been waiting over 20 years for approval of a family-sponsored visa.
Immigrants can legally get to the U.S by being sponsored by an employer or a family member, they can enter the country as refugees, or they could receive one of the selectively distributed professional or diversity visas. The Diversity Visa Program makes 55,000 green cards available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.
According to the State Department, the fees to obtain permanent U.S. visas can range from $200 to over $700, excluding legal fees. Plus, there are visa quotas which limits immigration from any given country.
In many poor, violence-ridden countries, or in cases where parents are separated from their children, immigrants say the wait is unbearable, leaving many to resort to illegal border crossing.
That journey can be expensive and deadly.
Smugglers charge anywhere from $3000 to upwards of $70,000 depending on country of origin, mode of transport and distance travelled according to the Mexican Migration Project, a multidisciplinary research effort between investigators in Mexico and the U.S.
Many don’t make it. According to federal records, more than 6,000 immigrants have died crossing the southern border since 1998.
callingitasitis says
@Tim Scott
Your analyze is very good as it applies to your average citizen (you and me). We have no LEGAL duty to aid the cops chasing criminal, however, we are talking about a government/ agency officials, the board of supervisors, who have a different standard. So those federal laws mandated to the state are non-enforceable no requirement to comply are unlawful? I think when it is all over the feds will have the upper hand a federal law can be crafted to compel states. The feds can and have in the past held back federal funds to the states. This state has major deficient if the feds hold back/ pull the funding this state will have a major financial crisis.
Tim Scott says
The state has no legal duty to aid the federal agencies in enforcing federal law. The constitution specifically forbids the federal government from nationalizing the law enforcement agencies of the states. The only exception to that is when the agencies themselves are found to be violating federal laws. So unless someone can show that the county is actively HIRING illegal aliens for law enforcement, which would be a violation of immigration law BY the county, there is no law that the county is violating here.
As to the “hold back federal funding” threats…that was used when some states didn’t want to comply with the 55MPH speed limit on their state highways, and federal highway funds were withheld. Even that was edgy and may not have withstood a challenge in the courts, under equal protection, had any affected state thought it was worth the effort. “We aren’t treating states equally because you aren’t voluntarily doing what the law specifically says we can’t make you do” has absolutely no shot at holding up in court.
caliingitasitis says
The first two years the president’s leadership he had both houses of congress. He could have resolved this issue with the Dream Act. He WASTED the opportunity, now someone else will resolved the issue their way. I guess the people were the wrong color.
Durante los dos primeros años de mandato del presidente tuvo dos cámaras de congreso. Podría haber resuelto esta cuestión con el Dream Act. Él perdía la oportunidad, ahora alguien más resolverá el problema a su manera. Supongo que la gente era del color equivocado.
It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things.
Theodore Roosevelt
Tim Scott says
That “wasted” two years went to reforming health care, which had been back burnered since Nixon. Now the Republicans are committed to “undo that at all costs even though we have no idea what to do about it.” Progress is accomplished by the man who does things, but modern Republicans are more into destruction, and that’s relatively easy.
caliingitasitis says
Enforce the current law and if the opposition wishes to fight it, Loser pays the bill . If we look at Lee Baca case obstruction of justice case maybe the same law can be applied to those same elected officials who use their position to obstruct justice of federal law. Baca could use some company in Federal prison.
Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.
George Washington
Tim Scott says
Which current law do you suggest needs to be enforced? If a criminal runs past you while being pursued by a cop and you trip the cop, that’s interfering with an officer in performance of his duty. But that doesn’t mean you are committing the same crime just because you didn’t trip the criminal.
Not only is there no federal law that says “local law enforcement agencies are required to enforce this law,” there are specifically laws that say the congress cannot make such laws. Federal laws are enforced by federal agencies, period. You, me, county supervisors, Deputy Foolco; none of us are legally required to enforce them, and in fact we cannot be legally required to do so.
Baca, on the other hand, did the equivalent of tripping the cop. And the feds will hopefully get around to locking him up for it.
eo2 says
Sign up here for the bus out.
SMHX2 says
Funny how those crying about the undocumented are the same people that hang around with God in church on Sundays. They quote the Bible as a habit but their soul is rotten to the core. Hope you take the time to understand how flawed the immigration system is before you make uneducated comments. I know, you won’t bother because it’s all about you and your “so called” loved ones, what a shame!
Tired_of_It says
Conversely, there are a lot of us who DO NOT attend any church and still believe in a nation with borders and rules to be obeyed. If you want to live in a land with no border patrol and no rules, then please — by all means — help yourself to a one-way trip to Somalia !
Yes, the immigration system is “flawed” ! We should be able to choose the type of immigrants we’ll accept here — the same way Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, China, S. Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan do!
We should NOT have to accept someone because they stuck one toe over the border and decided to have a baby!
SMHX2 says
Hey high and mighty, who the hell died and made you king? I am fed up with racist idiots telling other Americans to leave if we don’t agree. Bottom line is that CA will support undocumented beings and if someone should take a hike it’s people like you, you don’t agree well too bad so sad. Please go spew your hateful ignorance elsewhere, it’s not anyone’s fault you are a nobody that seems to be bitter about everything and looking for a scapegoat for your frustration. As racist and putrid repugnicans push our limits, I can guarantee that the other 65 million Americans are ready to push back. LOL, sad little thing.
help americans first says
so, is the county going to defend and help other criminals that are citizens? Or just the illegal ones? This is discrimination at it’s finest. Maybe they should also help all the Americans that want to leave the country too. This is crap. Sanctuary cities shouldn’t be allowed. Thanks Barger for trying to fight this crap! The rest of the board can go to you know where
Make me sick says
I don’t want my hard earned tax money going to illegal immigrants it’s bull crap send them home.
Illegal is illegal they come here and have 20 kids and collect $700 each off of each one of them time to get rid of them
White America collects more welfare says
Correction, citizens of the US are the ones who collect more of the welfare system than anyone else. Since “illegals take their jobs”, they sit around their parent’s basement until they’re 40 and collect all they want. Don’t talk out of your butt .
Tired_of_It says
Addendum to your “Correction”:
A nation’s welfare system is meant to help people ofTHAT nation, not whoever decides to show up!
You don’t expect citizens of other countries to show up in Mexico and demand access to the same social privileges as Mexican citizens.
SMHX2 says
Are you implying that undocumented people qualify for welfare? Please post a factual link that can back-up your comment ASAP, I’ll patiently await.
Shane Falco says
I’ve seen many illegals collecting benefits on behalf of their many children born here.
I’d change the 14th amendment to require that at least one parent must be a citizen or legal US resident in order for their child to be a citizen.
As it is, many illegals come here, have many children while signing their kids. As it is, 1/3 of ALL Californians are on Medi-Cal and the system wasn’t designed for over 12 million.
There’s WIC, food stamps, school breakfast and lunch programs and many more programs they’re signed up for.
Tim Scott says
Sure you have Foolco. Did they have tattoos that said “I’m an illegal” that you saw during your work as an EMT? Or were they walking down the street carrying a sign explaining their situation. Please, tell us mighty Foolco that you don’t need any such devices, because the great Foolco eye can identify a person’s immigration status just by a casual glance as they walk past.
Oh, wait, I wouldn’t believe you. So let’s go back to just asking. How DO you know the immigration status of all these people you see?
Shane Falco says
When people dial 911 and you’re inside the home treating the kids, the parents, the abuela’s, we ask for insurance information or any identification we can give the physicians at the ER.
When asking the last time the patient ate or what they ate, they have to pull the lunch menu from the school to find out what their child ate.
People hand us Medi-Cal cards, and all different kinds of entitlement eligibility ID’s/vouchers (most we don’t need) as an ID for their kid. We get the provisional drivers licenses only used by illegals.
Traffic collisions? Same thing. We often have to look through vehicles or purses/wallets of the unconscious patient for any ID and often find no license but find vouchers, EBT debit cards and Medi-Cal ID’s for them and their kids.
It’s not hard to figure out after over 30 years working as a firefighter and paramedic.
The “I was a bakersfield handyman…I never said I was a Bakersfield handyman…oh…well I said it but I wasn’t really a handyman in Bakersfield” should stay in his own lane and townhome on this topic.
SMHX2 says
@Shane Falco
1. Go hand-out false information elsewhere, even is the child is born here, if the parents are undocumented those children are automatically disqualified for welfare assistance or EBT.
2. When exactly did you perform your EMT duties? DLs issued to undocumented through AB-60 began 1/2015, you must be a great time traveler.
3. As far as the school lunch menu goes, there are children who eat school cafeteria food who pay for their meals, we don’t issue anything that identifies students as paying or non.
4. “I’d change the 14th amendment”, trust me, if I could change amendments, I would change the right to vote for only those of us with a high IQ and with a good heart. You are obviously disqualified under both!
5. Undocumented only qualify for emergency Medi-Cal, a good example is if someone is diagnosed with cancer, but holy fxxk, I am certain you wouldn’t want anyone undocumented to live (including children) huh? I truly don’t mind if my taxes are used to assist another human being and I pay taxes on my properties, salary, etc.,
6. WIC is for pregnant women and small children, I suppose that’s a “big chip on your shoulder” too, huh?
I don’t know why I bother responding to you, I keep forgetting you are the high and mighty astronaut and physicist Shane Falco. Next you’ll share that you were also president of the US when you were 10 years old. REPULSIVE!
Tim Scott says
LOL…sure Foolco. You just got caught in your “I just assume the brown people are illegals” lane and don’t like it, so you spew out some nonsense and try to make one of your puerile attacks so your gigantic ego can inflate back up.
If you really want to get an ego boost, try satisfying your wife instead of just regaling her with tales of what a great provider you are. She’s worth it.
Make me sick says
Well I guess you must be a legal immigrant with 20 kids and collecting welfare.
And you breed like cockroaches
And I don’t care if you like what I said or not and most of all you’re a bunch of pigs you don’t take care of your neighborhood
Orejona says
Shut your mouth u know nothing you are just talking out of your a$$ why don’t u go back under your rock what hard earned money u probably the one with 20 kids and welfare since u know how it works
BobM says
Office of ILLEGAL Immigration Affairs
Trump will fix this too. Sanctuary cities are on his S_ list and mine too.
Tim Scott says
LOL…the way people cling to this belief that Trump can “fix” anything is so charmingly naive.
BobM says
oh Tim hopefully not as charmingly naïve as the media and others when they said DT didn’t have chance of ever becoming POTUS.
You just might come to find out you’ve been charmingly naïve this around.
Tim Scott says
For what it’s worth I thought it was equally charming when people ate up the whole “hope and change” bit too. The forces that shape the direction of the nation aren’t harnessed in the president’s office, no matter who sits there. All that Dingbat Don might be able to do is throw such a spanner in the works that the whole gearbox explodes, which would certainly be interesting but I doubt you’d enjoy it.
Jim Ross says
This sounds better than spending the money helping the vets
RUFUS LEWIS says
NO WAY DO I WANT MY MONEY GOING TO DRUG ADDICTED VETS TO BUY DRUGS AND GET HIGH OF MY HARD EARNED MONEY WELL SAID JIM
Russ says
So you would rather have your hard earned money going to defend or help people who broke our laws to get into our Country? I would rather have that money help our thousands of homeless people in Los Angeles County. Tax money should benefit our citizens not other Countries citizens
Lilibelle says
@ Russ why don’t u go hand the homeless your hard earned money? Stop talking and start doing the good don’t just talk.
Russ says
And what are you doing about the situation? I never said I wanted to hand them the money, only that they money should go to our citizens and not citizens of other Countries. I used the homeless as an example of where the money could go, there are also many other areas that money could go to benefit our own citizens, it could even go to legal immigrants if they need help. We should under no circumstances spend taxpayer money on someone who is not here legally