Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
After Newsom Veto, Coalition Redoubles Fight To Bar Prison-to-ICE Transfers
A detainee is being escorted from his cell by a guard at the immigration detention facility in Adelanto.
(
Robyn Beck
/
Getty Images
)
For the last several years, immigration advocates have pushed to stop California prisons from turning over noncitizens who’ve finished their sentences to federal authorities, a practice that disproportionately affects Latinos and Southeast Asians.
But soon after their movement notched a victory earlier this month, it suffered a big setback.
On Friday night, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to stop some of these prison-to-ICE transfers to the surprise and anger of activists like Ny Nourn of the Asian Prisoner Support Committee.
The bill, called the HOME Act by supporters, would have protected paroled people who met certain conditions like being severely ill, having been the victim of sexual violence or having been pardoned by the governor.
Support for LAist comes from
For Newsom, “to say he’s a governor who's for immigrants, that has granted clemency for people that are facing detention and deportation, I think it's really hypocritical of him to veto the bill,” Nourn said.
The bill’s supporters, including sponsor Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, are now considering pushing for an override of Newsom’s veto.
Carrillo, a Democrat from L.A., says she’s also ready to introduce the bill in its current form in the coming months for the 2024-25 legislative cycle.
The bill is scaled down from two earlier versions that failed to pass the Legislature because they lacked enough support from moderate Democrats. Carrillo pared down the bill to exclude county jails and create specific categories under which people could be protected from transfers. An estimated 70 to 100 people were expected to benefit yearly.
“We've worked really hard to get something to the governor's desk to get him to sign something that at the very minimum begins to end the dual system of justice in California that clearly is discriminatory towards immigrants,” Carrillo said.
Carrillo noted that Newsom, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate, has been trying to differentiate himself from another White House hopeful, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom the California governor will debate in November.
Support for LAist comes from
“Well, this was a huge priority to the immigrant community,” Carrillo said.
The bill would prevent information sharing and coordination upon a person's release from CDCR custody for a significant number of people and, as a result, would impede CDCR's interaction with a federal law enforcement agency charged with assessing public safety risks.
— Gov. Gavin Newsom
In his veto message, Newsom said the bill would negatively affect the working relationship between the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Asked for comment about plans to save the bill, the governor’s office said it had nothing to share beyond his veto message.
As for whether legislative leadership would consider overriding Newsom’s veto of the bill, neither California Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins nor Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas were available for comment, according to their spokespeople. The last time a California governor’s veto was overturned was in 1980.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist