California lawmakers struggle to find ways to hit back against Trump immigration raids
And yet — at least so far — nothing seems capable of deterring the White House or forcing a change in tactics.
In both Sacramento and Washington, observers said elected officials are coming up with proposals that seem to lack teeth.
Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy and former senior counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles, said stopping the Trump administration from sending masked and unidentified immigration agents to snatch people off the street is proving difficult.
'They detain everybody and interrogate them all and then just figure out afterward who's unlawfully present, and that's blatantly illegal,' he said. 'We can write more laws, but there's already perfectly good laws that say this is unlawful, and they're doing it anyway.'
A bill announced Monday by state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Alhambra) would expand police impersonation laws and require all law enforcement, unless undercover, to wear a name tag or badge number.
'While ICE has publicly condemned impersonations, the agency's use of face coverings and lack of consistent, visible identification creates public confusion and makes it difficult for the public to distinguish between authorized law enforcement personnel and dangerous criminals,' Renée Pérez's office said in a news release.
Another bill, introduced by state Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley) also seeks to ban law enforcement from wearing face coverings.
U.S. Representative Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) announced similar legislation Tuesday at the federal level, but the Republican majorities in both congressional houses mean it stands little chance of becoming law.
The state bills have a better chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, but they still face opposition.
The Peace Officers Research Assn. of California, the largest statewide law enforcement union in the country, said banning face coverings could inadvertently put local cops — who are already required to wear badges, nameplates or badge numbers on their uniforms — at risk of losing access to personal protective equipment like face shields and respirators.
'Using local law enforcement as a punching bag to grandstand against the federal government should not be an acceptable practice from our state leaders. It is misdirected, misguided, and intolerable,' Brian R. Marvel, president of PORAC, said in a statement.
Marvel said he doubted California had the authority to regulate the attire of federal officers.
Arulanantham disagreed, saying that the state law could stand as long as the mask ban was neutrally applied to all law enforcement, not just federal actors.
Other potential measures in the state Legislature, Arulanantham said, could expand on SB 54, the sanctuary policy that limits collaboration between state law enforcement and federal authorities on immigration enforcement. But even those protections are now under assault in the courts.
The Trump administration sued the city of L.A. on Monday, arguing its sanctuary policy hampered the federal government's ability to enforce immigration law.
'Our City remains committed to standing up for our constitutional rights and the rights of our residents,' a spokesperson for the L.A. city attorney said in a statement. 'We will defend our ordinance and continue to defend policies that reflect our longstanding values as a welcoming community for all residents.'
Other bills advancing through the state Legislature include measures that would restrict school officials from allowing immigration enforcement inside the nonpublic areas of schools and prohibit healthcare workers from sharing a patient's immigration status without judicial warrants.
Democrats aren't alone in trying to get the White House to back off.
A group of state Republican lawmakers authored a letter to Trump, arguing that widespread immigration raids are crippling the economy by taking away workers from key industries.
'Unfortunately, the recent ICE workplace raids on farms, at construction sites, and in restaurants and hotels, have led to unintended consequences that are harming the communities we represent and the businesses that employ our constituents,' the letter said.
The Department of Homeland Security has insisted its agents are busy arresting 'criminal illegal aliens' and said it will continue operations despite efforts by 'rioters and politicians trying to hinder law enforcement.'
'As bad faith politicians attempt to demean and vilify our brave law enforcement, we will only double down and ramp up our enforcement actions against the worst of the worst criminals,' Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a June 26 news release.
Local city and county governments, civil rights groups and even individuals could step in to sue the government and ICE on the grounds that they are infringing upon citizens' constitutional rights and harming the local economy — but no notable cases have been filed.
The city of Los Angeles is posturing for a suit and has already approved legal action against ICE, according to a proposal signed by seven members of the City Council.
But early struggles in the state's challenge to Trump's deployment of federal troops do not bode well for future litigation. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals swiftly overturned a lower court decision that would've limited Trump's authority, and litigation over whether the troops can be used for immigration enforcement remains ongoing.
While the court battle plays out, state Democratic leaders, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), say they are working to fast-track some bills through the legislative process.
'The Speaker is deeply invested in protecting California's immigrant workers and families in the face of reckless ICE raids and Trump's abuses of power,' Rivas' spokesperson Nick Miller said in a statement.
Some observers said that, despite the struggles legislation may face in the near term, it may be up to Republicans to change focus from Trump's agenda to things that affect their electorates, said veteran Democratic political strategist Roy Behr.
'The Republicans seem more focused on doing whatever Trump wants, but at least these votes force them to show where their loyalties really lie. And you know, maybe one day they will actually start to pay the price for these votes and ultimately feel the pressure to change their minds.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
24 minutes ago
Supreme Court could release more on high-profile cases from its 'cleanup conference'
There is the potential for more news out of the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday when the justices release a list of orders and dispositions from the "cleanup conference," the last in-person gathering before summer recess. The timing of the release is somewhat unusual -- the conference was held last week, and typically the results of that session are released the day after the final opinion comes down, which would have been Monday. Veteran court watchers suspect that there could be a lot of writing from the justices, such as dissents or concurrences, on matters that they will address without oral argument. There are five outstanding emergency petitions involving President Donald Trump. Mass federal layoffs: Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees. Whether the Court should stay a nationwide injunction barring the executive branch from developing plans to initiate large-scale reductions of the federal workforce Dismantling the Department of Education: McMahon v. NY. Whether the court should stay a district court order requiring the government to reinstate Department of Education employees fired as part of a reduction in force. Florida immigration law: Uthmeier v Florida Immigrant Coalition. Whether the court should stay a preliminary injunction preventing Florida from enforcing SB4c, a law that criminalizes entry into and presence within Florida of those who have illegally entered the U.S. Jan. 6 police officers: Doe v Seattle Police Department. Whether to stay Washington state court mandates requiring four anonymous former and current Seattle police officers who attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the Capitol to refile their lawsuit regarding public record requests under their true names. Deportation: Gomez v U.S. Whether the court should stay a lower court mandate certifying petitioner's extradition to Ecuador to stand trial for a charge of sexual abuse. The court also address other cases implicated by the ruling in the birthright citizenship case, the transgender health care case and others.
Miami Herald
34 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Bondi made changes to DOJ policy. Her former client Pfizer might have benefited
For the past several years, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for potential foreign corruption violations related to its activities in China and Mexico, according to the company's financial filings. But that appears to have changed after the Trump administration tapped Pam Bondi — previously an outside legal counsel for Pfizer — to lead the Justice department as attorney general. In the company's most recent annual report, filed three weeks after Bondi took office in early February, there was no longer any reference to the Justice Department investigations into the company's potential violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act. A quarterly report in May also contains no reference to these investigations. On her first day in office, Bondi rolled back the enforcement of foreign corruption cases that didn't involve drug cartels and international criminal organizations, among a host of sweeping changes she made to the department's priorities. That move was followed five days later, on Feb. 10, by a related executive order issued by President Donald Trump that paused new foreign corruption investigations and enforcement actions. The Justice Department also reportedly reduced the number of attorneys working on such cases and closed nearly half of existing foreign corruption cases. Bondi's stated goal in making the changes was 'Removing Bureaucratic Impediments to Aggressive Prosecutions,' but the actions she and President Trump took were widely seen as a signal that the Justice Department would be less interested in pursuing allegations that major corporations like Pfizer paid bribes to win business abroad. Pfizer is among several companies that filed financial documents this year suggesting that the Justice Department had dropped their federal corruption investigations. The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen raised concerns about Bondi's relationship with Pfizer in a letter sent last month to the Senate Judiciary Committee and questions how she may have played a role in the department's apparent decision to drop the case. 'We would always hope that our elected officials are above reproach ethically and a big part of that is ensuring that they don't have any conflicts of interest,' said Lisa Gilbert, the group's co-president. 'All of this comes back to the appropriateness of Pam Bondi's conduct and whether she should be touching anything that approaches Pfizer.' The Justice Department told The Miami Herald that Bondi's work for Pfizer had nothing to do with foreign corruption. 'Attorney General Bondi's brief work with this company occurred when she was a private citizen, concerned a Florida-specific legal matter, and bears no nexus whatsoever to the Department of Justice's FCPA guidance. Any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect,' said Justice Department spokesman Gates McGavick. Pfizer declined to comment beyond the disclosures in the company's financial filings. Work for Fort Lauderdale firm Bondi – who previously served as Florida's attorney general for two terms and also was one of Trump's attorneys during his 2019 impeachment trial – represented Pfizer while in private practice with the Fort Lauderdale law firm Panza Maurer, which she had been affiliated with since 2021, according to her financial disclosure form. It isn't clear exactly what Bondi did for Pfizer but the drug company is the only client she listed in connection with work for the law firm, which paid her more than $200,000 last year. Bondi also reported working as a lobbyist for the influential company Ballard Partners before entering office. The founder of that firm, Brian Ballard, also is listed as being of counsel with Panza Maurer, the same title Bondi held. Thomas Panza, a founding partner of the law firm, declined to say whether the firm is still representing Pfizer and on what matters it has represented the pharmaceutical company. He said Bondi did work for other clients besides Pfizer in the past, but declined to provide names. He also said that, to his knowledge, no one from the firm has been in contact with Bondi since she took the helm at the Justice Department. Under her federal ethics agreement before taking office, Bondi promised that she would not participate 'personally and substantially' in any matter involving former clients at Panza Maurer for one year after she last provided service to the client. Pfizer isn't the only former client that has raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest for Bondi. The Herald earlier reported that Bondi, before becoming attorney general, had lobbied on behalf of a China-backed refrigerant company called iGas USA which currently has an active lawsuit against the federal government, which is being defended by Justice Department lawyers. Reading the tea leaves While the Justice Department doesn't typically make public when it has decided to drop a foreign corruption investigation without seeking a penalty, legal experts say what a company says – or doesn't say – in its financial filings can provide clues. 'If they had language about it and then suddenly there's no language about it, you can probably infer that either the investigation is closed, or they no longer believe that it's material for investors to know,' said William Garrett, who manages a database of foreign corruption cases maintained by Stanford University's law school. Pfizer isn't the only company that appears to have benefited from the new policies. Three other companies listed in the Stanford foreign corruption case database – Johnson & Johnson, Toyota and medical device company Stryker – indicated in financial filings this year that the Justice Department had dropped investigations into potential foreign corruption violations by their companies. In early April, Alina Habba, the acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, also dropped charges against executives for Cognizant Technologies, an information technology consulting and outsourcing company, citing Trump's executive order. President's Trump's pause on new foreign corruption cases was lifted last month, and the department said it would resume bringing new cases but that it would prioritize focusing on the conduct of individuals rather than attributing 'nonspecific' wrongdoing to 'corporate structures.' The recent foreign corruption investigations involving Pfizer weren't the first time the company's foreign activities came under such scrutiny. In 2012, Pfizer subsidiaries agreed to pay the federal government more than $60 million in penalties and surrendered profits and interest in response to allegations of corruption in a number of different countries. 'Pfizer took short cuts to boost its business in several Eurasian countries, bribing government officials in Bulgaria, Croatia, Kazakhstan and Russia to the tune of millions of dollars,' Mythili Raman, then the principal deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, said of one of the investigations. More recently, Pfizer disclosed that the foreign corruption units from the Justice Department and the SEC had requested documents connected to the company's activities in Russia in 2019, but the company ceased making any mention of that investigation last year.
Hamilton Spectator
39 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Denmark launches its EU presidency facing war in Ukraine and Trump tariff chaos
AARHUS, Denmark (AP) — Denmark launched its presidency of the European Union on Thursday with a call for Europe to unite to take on war in Ukraine and chaos caused by U.S. President Donald Trump's global tariff hike which are likely to mark the Nordic country's six-month term at the helm of the world's biggest trading bloc. 'We have war on European soil. We face trade wars, and new tariffs, and we have our closest ally, in the United States, turning increasingly inward,' said Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre. 'Europe can no longer be in the shadow of the United States. We need now to stand on our own two feet.' Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were in the western city of Aarhus for a day of celebratory events as Denmark started its eighth EU presidency since joining in 1973. Presidencies rotate between the 27 EU member countries every six months. The nation in charge sets policy priorities and organizes the bloc's working agenda. It's supposed to act as an 'honest broker,' setting aside national interests to foster consensus. Denmark is entering its term with the motto 'A Strong Europe in a Changing World.' Its aim is to help ensure the EU can take responsibility for its own security, boost economic competitiveness and tackle climate change. The ceremony was held as large parts of Europe sweltered in high temperatures. Russia's war on Ukraine, now in its fourth year, is seen as an existential challenge in Europe and will weigh heavily on most policy debate. Economic turmoil also lies ahead. Trump's 90-day tariff pause ends on July 9 with no EU-U.S. trade deal in place as yet. Getting defense on track and gunning for 5% NATO has warned that Russia could be ready to attack another European country in 3-5 years. To prepare, the military alliance — most of whose members are EU countries — has agreed that national military and defense-related investment should rise to 5% of GDP . Denmark's priority will be to set Europe on track to properly defend itself by 2030. That will require laying the groundwork for countries to buy the military equipment needed to execute NATO's defense plans with Trump's security priorities lying outside Europe. That will mean wrapping up negotiations on proposals that will help countries purchase and make military equipment together. Enlargement and another defense front Helping Ukraine, but also Moldova, to join the EU soon is another security priority. Moldova has been shaken by Russian meddling in the form of energy coercion, election interference and disinformation campaigns. Denmark says it aims to keep the two moving toward membership together, but Hungary is blocking Ukraine's path. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insists that Ukraine should remain a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries. With fresh elections in Moldova in September, pressure is mounting for the EU to 'decouple' their accession tracks. Bjerre said 'all political and practical means' will be used first to persuade Hungary — a small EU country and the only one standing in Ukraine's way — to lift its veto. She said it's important to send clear signals to Balkans countries. Most have waited many years to join. Honing a competitive edge As Trump wages tariff war, trade has changed drastically. The EU has sought new trade agreements with other countries, such as India , while other trade pacts are being revamped. Denmark says it's important to accelerate that process. The government in Copenhagen says it's also seeking to cut more bureaucratic red tape in order to speed up innovation. A major challenge looms in the form of the EU's next long-term budget. Von der Leyen plans to unveil the commission's blueprint for the seven-year spending package, which should enter force in 2028, on July 16. With defense spending increases weighing heavily on national purses, member countries are unlikely to want to stump up more funds for European priorities. Denmark's aim is to get the debate — which could run for two years — off on the right track. Managing climate change Despite some backsliding, the EU still holds to its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, by cutting greenhouse gases and compensating for any remaining emissions. Denmark will lead work on setting a 2040 target to guide climate action and investment to keep the bloc on track. Part of that will be the transition away from fossil fuels to green energy forms. Russia's war on Ukraine has highlighted the dangers of energy dependence on any one supplier. Sanctions and political pressure have not stopped some EU countries of getting their oil and gas from Russia, although the level of dependency has dropped markedly since 2022. Denmark says the continued phase out remains a priority. Copenhagen also says it should be easier for farmers to respect EU rules. It wants the bloc's agricultural policy to be simple and business friendly. One goal is to finalize negotiations on a rule simplification package. Migration policy, outsourcing continues In 2021, Frederiksen spoke of a vision of 'zero asylum-seekers,' and her government will continue down the EU track of seeking 'innovative solutions' to better manage migrants. Unable to agree how best to cope, EU countries have mostly focused on deporting people. They've tried to establish 'return hubs' in countries outside the bloc where rejected asylum-seekers could be sent. That approach will continue. Denmark says it's important to persuade people not to set out for Europe in the first place. Work will also continue on preparing the vast asylum and migration policy pact to come into force next year. The pact was seen as the answer to Europe's migration woes, but countries still differ on how best to tackle the challenge. Under international law, people have a right to asylum if they fear for their lives, safety or persecution. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
