Thus far, over 63,000 Californians have been deported due to S-Comm. 7 out of 10 of those deported had no convictions or were arrested and deported over issues as minor as selling food without a permit. UC Berkeley’s Warren Institute also found that this program disproportionately targeted Latinos.
The TRUST Act puts a wrench in S-Comm by reforming the way in which our state and localities respond to ICE “detainer” or “hold” requests. These are cruel requests to trap in local jails, at local expense, domestic violence survivors, street vendors, even US citizens by mistake, just so ICE can sweep these community members into its out of control deportation dragnet. ICE detainers are the linchpin in the failed S-Comm program.
In recent months, we’ve seen more evidence that ICE “holds” have led to the prolonged detention of immigrant domestic violence survivors- and even U.S. citizens.

Now, there is a crucial fact here that ICE would prefer to keep quiet.

These hold requests are just that – REQUESTS. Federal courts and ICE itself have confirmed that ICE holds are NOT mandatory. With the recent admissions by ICE that holds are voluntary, local governments from coast to coast have been taking action to limit their responses to these holds.
So I’m thrilled to announce today that the TRUST Act is going to take on these unjust immigration holds. The TRUST Act will place reasonable limits on how California responds to these burdensome requests to hold immigrants for deportation in local jails. We’ll clear up the confusion and preserve the “bright line” between local law enforcement and the broken immigration system – and that will help restore community trust in the police.

The bill:
· Sets a clear, minimum standard for local governments not to detain people for deportation unless the individual has a serious or violent felony conviction. These convictions are defined according to existing, clearly established state law.
· Guards against profiling and wrongful detention of citizens and crime victims. Jurisdictions that do choose to detain people with serious convictions for deportation will develop common-sense plans to make sure others aren’t swept up.

This is the first bill of its kind in the nation.

Finally, I’d like to emphasize that the new TRUST Act comes at a crossroads in our nation’s immigration debate.
Even though most Americans support humane comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship for undocumented community members, some states — like Arizona, Alabama and Georgia — have enacted hateful, discriminatory laws. Those states have unleashed a shameful wave of racial profiling and have hurt their own economies in the process.
The TRUST Act is a powerful – and practical – counterweight to the unjust laws coming out of Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and a number of other copycat states.
Through the TRUST Act, we are saying, enough is enough. No more innocent people, crime victims, street vendors, parents trying to get to work, needlessly held in local jails for deportation.

We can do better!

Together, we can pass this bill. Together, we change the lives of tens of thousands of Californians. SI SE PUEDE!

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