Gov. Brown signs 'Trust Act' prohibiting detaining undocumented for deportation in minor arrests

Sheriff's Deputy Rodriguez, an officer from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, guards an intersection outside the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2013, following reports that murder suspect Christopher Dorner was seen in the area. The correctional facility and adjoining L.A. County Men's Central Jail were on high alert after the report, resulting in area traffic checkpoints conducted by officers in ballistic vests and helmets.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill into California law that prohibits the LAPD and other local law enforcement agencies from detaining people for deportation if they are arrested for a minor crime and otherwise eligible to be released from custody.

AB4 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, was one of eight immigration-related measures Brown signed on Saturday. The governor also approved a bill allowing lawyers to be admitted to the California bar even if they're living in the U.S. illegally.

“While Washington waffles on immigration, California’s forging ahead," Brown said in a statement. “I’m not waiting.”

Ammiano's legislation - also known as the "Trust Act" - creates a statewide standard for how local agencies comply with the federal Secure Communities program, which requires law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone who is arrested.

The governor vetoed a similar measure last year because it did not let officials detain those convicted of crimes such as child abuse and drug trafficking, exemptions that were removed from this year's version.

Other immigration related bills that the governor signed:

AB 35 by Assemblymember Roger Hernández (D-West Covina) – Provides that immigration consultants, attorneys, notaries public, and organizations accredited by the United States Board of Immigration Appeals are the only individuals authorized to charge a fee for providing services associated with filing an application under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's deferred action program.
AB 524 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – Provides that a threat to report the immigration status or suspected immigration status of an individual or the individual's family may induce fear sufficient to constitute extortion.
AB 1024 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) – Allows applicants, who are not lawfully present in the United States, to be admitted as an attorney at law.
AB 1159 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) – Imposes various restrictions and obligations on persons who offer services related to comprehensive immigration reform.
SB 141 by Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) – Requires that the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and requests that the University of California, exempt a United States citizen who resides in a foreign country, and is in their first year as a matriculated student, from nonresident tuition if the student demonstrates financial need, has a parent or guardian who was deported or voluntarily departed from the U. S., lived in California immediately before moving abroad, and attended a secondary school in California for at least three years.
SB 150 by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) – Authorizes a community college district to exempt pupils attending community colleges as a special part-time student from paying nonresident tuition.
SB 666 by Senator Steinberg (D-Sacramento) – Provides for a suspension or revocation of an employer's business license for retaliation against employees and others on the basis of citizenship and immigration status, and establishes a civil penalty up to $10,000 per violation.

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Gov. Brown signs 'Trust Act' prohibiting detaining undocumented for deportation in minor arrests

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