OC Groups to “Unmask Hate” of Local Officials siding with Separating Families

Orange County, CA – This Thursday, a diverse coalition of Orange County groups pledged to “unmask the hate” of OC city and county officials that have sided with the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies. The groups gathered on a hot Summer day, to “celebrate sanctuary” and affirm the recent federal court decision dismissing the Trump administration’s lawsuit against California’s “sanctuary” law, the CA VALUE Act (SB54, De Leon).

“Today, we are here to celebrate the federal court’s rejection of the Trump administration’s lawsuit against California, and our sanctuary laws,” said Tracy La, Project Coordinator for OC-based, VietRise. “We’re going to hold our elected officials accountable to state law, and that law is the CA Values Act.”

On Monday, a federal judge dismissed Trump’s lawsuit and affirmed the clear constitutionality of SB54, ensuring California’s local and state resources are not utilized toward mass deportations.

“Thanks to Jeff Sessions, there is no longer any doubt about the Constitutionality of SB54. Now it’s time to hold accountable all of these local elected officials that sided with the despicable hate circus, no excuses,” said Salvador G Sarmiento of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).

The federal lawsuit was part of an orchestrated “revolt” against California’s sanctuary policies, backed by white nationalist group FAIR, and propped up by Fox News. The anti-immigrant message was pushed locally by an aggressive “hate circus” of traveling activists, many from as far as Las Vegas and Arizona.

GOP officials, including County Supervisor Michelle Steel, Deputy Sheriff Don Barnes, and US Rep. Dana Rohrabacher served as public conduits for the anti-immigrant messages.

“It’s a hot day, but if you think it’s hot now, we’re just getting warmed up. We’ll spend the rest of the Summer unmasking the hate of these local officials that want to separate our families,” added Carlos Perea of Resilience OC.

Representing the OC coalition to defend sanctuary were residents and community leaders from a broad array of immigrant, civil rights, faith, labor and neighborhood organizations, including the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Resilience OC, VietRISE, Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE-Justice), ACLU SoCal, Korean Resource Center (KRC), Pride OC, Service Employees International Union USWW, and many others.

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