Brown: Immigration Suit Means 'Going To War' With California

LOS ANGELES, CA — Local immigration activists and Democratic elected officials Wednesday condemned the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit challenging state laws that offer a level of protection to immigrants in the country illegally, calling it an act of "fear-mongering" that will not reduce crime.

Republican leaders, however, hailed the lawsuit as a legitimate challenge to laws that undermine federal immigration authorities.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions detailed the lawsuit Wednesday morning during a meeting of the California Peace Officers Association in Sacramento.

"In recent years, California has enacted a number of laws designed to intentionally obstruct the work of our sworn immigration enforcement officers -- to intentionally use every power it has to undermine duly established immigration law in America," Session said.

He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents "are federal law enforcement officers carrying out federal law. California cannot forbid them or obstruct them in doing their jobs."

Gov. Jerry Brown held a press conference in response and didn't mince words.

"This is basically going to war against the state of California, the engine of the American economy," Brown said according to the Sacramento Bee. "It's not wise, it's not right and it will not stand."

Brown further suggested the attorney general is attacking California in a bid to keep his job in the face of the president's dissatisfaction with the Russian investigation.

"We know the Trump administration is full of liars," Brown said. "They've pled guilty already to the special counsel."

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said Sessions and President Donald Trump "are utilizing the tools of deception and fear mongering to advance a draconian, inhumane and broad anti-immigrant agenda."

"California has acted to protect all of its residents, the Attorney General's actions to sue California for utilizing its purview to protect its residents is only an indication of the radical agenda of this administration," Salas said. "We will not be intimidated by bigotry and fear. California's state constitutional rights and duty is to protect the welfare of our residents from the Trump's administration obsession to persecute immigrants."

Rusty Hicks, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, called it ironic that Trump would turn to the courts to challenge California, when, "for decades, Donald Trump has used the courts as a financial sanctuary for his bankrupt businesses."

"The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor welcomes the chance to join in the defense of our rights as Californians,' Hicks said.

Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, who authored legislation preventing cities from expanding contracts with for-profit prison companies to detain immigrants, accused Sessions and Trump of "lying to the American people."

"This isn't about stopping crime. We have prisons and jails for people convicted of crimes," he said. "These are immigrant jails and we don't want them to expand in California."

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is contemplating a run for the presidency in 2020, called the lawsuit a waste of "time and resources."

"Standing with immigrants is fundamental to who we are as Angelenos, Californians, and Americans -- and nothing the Attorney General says ... can break our will to keep families together, and our communities whole," Garcetti said. "Imagine if Trump's Justice Department were to put this much energy into actually solving problems."

The Justice Department lawsuit specifically targets California laws that prevent business owners from helping immigration agents track down workers living in the country illegally, prohibit law enforcement from notifying ICE when immigrants are released from custody and authorize state inspections of federal detention centers.

"Importantly, these laws are harmful to Californians, and they're especially harmful to law enforcement," Session said.

"... We are simply asking California and other sanctuary jurisdictions to stop actively obstructing federal law enforcement," he said.

But not all Southern California reaction to the lawsuit was negative.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, who openly opposed California's "sanctuary state" legislation -- Senate Bill 54 -- limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal authorities, said she hopes the Justice Department lawsuit will "provide legal direction on this issue."

"My hope is that the court will remove SB 54's restrictions on communication," she said. "Local law enforcement has no desire to enforce immigration law, however, we must have the ability to work with our federal partners to remove dangerous criminals from our community."

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, said the Trump Administration showed "true leadership" by filing the lawsuit.

"For too long, states like California have been willfully complicit in obstructing the enforcement of our immigration laws," Issa said. "The era of allowing our states to turn a blind eye to federal law and allow illegal immigrants who have committed crimes to remain in our communities is now coming to an end."

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, said while he supports the rights of states to enact their own policies on issues not governed by federal law, immigration does not fall into that category.

"Our Constitution gives clear authority and supremacy to the federal government over immigration policy," he said. "California's Democrat leaders are totally misguided in their efforts to hinder federal enforcement, maybe even legally wrong, which of course will be decided by the courts."

City News Service; City News Service; Photo: Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the California Peace Officers' Association 26th Annual Law Enforcement Legislative Day on March 7, 2018 in Sacramento, California. The attorney general is expected to reveal a major sanctuary jurisdiction announcement as the Justice Department sued California over its sanctuary policies. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)