Issue Position: Protecting and Welcoming Immigrant Communities.
Issue Position
As the current president continues expanding his list of who does and does not belong in the United States, California must stand firm in protecting vulnerable members of our community from attack and unjustified deportation. I support California's successful actions to become a sanctuary state because the best use of law enforcement resources is catching dangerous criminals, not threatening and deporting our undocumented neighbors. We must reject the politics of hate and fear, and we can do that through responsible legislation that protects crime victims and keeps undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. Our strength is our diversity, and our diversity is reflected in our vibrant immigrant communities. I will do everything in my power to make immigrants from all corners of the globe feel welcome here.
As the current president continues expanding his list of who does and does not belong in the United States, California must stand firm in protecting vulnerable members of our community from attack and unjustified deportation. Our strength is our diversity, and our diversity is reflected in our vibrant immigrant communities.
I am incredibly proud to run for office in a state that has been so outspoken in its commitment to protecting immigrant communities. If elected, I will not only work to uphold California's status as a sanctuary state but will also build on the values of inclusion and diversity that make California a beacon of hope for this country. California must continue to lead the nation with its progressive policies and demonstrate to the world that all who are willing to contribute to our society are welcome in our state.
I strongly support California's actions to successfully pass a law declaring itself a sanctuary state, and now we must work to ensure that SB54 is implemented fully and upheld in the face of Trump's attempt to dismantle it. I am a staunch supporter of the DACA program as well as California's Dream Act, which continues to make college attainable for undocumented students. We must reject the politics of hate and fear, and we can do that through responsible legislation that ensures immigrants not only have all their civil rights respected and defended by the state and its law enforcement institutions, but also feel safe and comfortable to engage and build community in California. I will do everything in my power to make immigrants from all corners of the globe feel welcome here.
As your Assemblywoman, I would:
Expand Civil Rights for our Immigrant Communities
In the face of Trump's abhorrent normalization of bigotry and racism, we also need to take steps to protect the civil liberties and rights of every Californian, especially those who are being unjustly targeted for their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We are hailed nationally and globally as a progressive state that welcomes diversity, but that means nothing unless we show our commitment to these values through our actions. We must foster an environment where immigrants feel safe and are not afraid to report crimes to our law enforcement agencies--the very people responsible for protecting every Californian.
Ultimately, we must do more to protect and empower our immigrant families by addressing the disparities in access, quality, and outcomes that exist in all of our public systems. If elected, I would consider every state issue through an equity lens, and will insist that all our reforms, from reforming our criminal justice system to investing in our public schools, includes strong mechanisms for equity and inclusion of immigrants.
Ramp up our Response to Hate Crimes
The rate of hate crimes has increased for the past three years in California, and the numbers we have likely don't even capture the full picture, due to underreporting. We must facilitate better tracking of hate crimes in our state-- I applaud our legislators for recently passing AB 1985, which took great steps in these efforts--and do more to increase prosecution and consequences for hate crimes. That also means we must equip our Attorney General's office with the funding they need to continue litigation against discriminatory rules from Trump's administration. And we must also address the problem of hate crimes in our schools--in the past year, almost 8% of hate crimes occured in our grade schools. This is unacceptable, and we must fund and structure better bias training statewide for our educators and increase the number of counselors and social workers in our schools who can support student victims.
Protect our Immigrant Workers
As the Trump administration continues attacking our immigrant neighbors and ICE ramps up its unjustified raids and deportations, we must protect the rights of our immigrant workers, both documented and undocumented. Besides this being a clear social justice issue, our immigrants are critical to the success of our workforce -- California has more immigrants in its workforce than any other state, and undocumented immigrants alone make up 9% of California's labor force
We should be proud that California has passed many laws ramping up undocumented workers protections in recent years (like AB263, AB450, and SB54), but we must carefully monitor their implementation to make sure we're getting them right. Employers must not be able to get away with wage theft or substandard working conditions by threatening to call ICE if someone complains. This dynamic hurts us all -- it blocks access to justice for immigrants, damages employer/employee relationships, undercuts the bargaining power of workers and unions, and contradicts our core values. We must increase funding for the California Attorney General's Office, so that we can continue using our legal system to fight back against federal attacks on undocumented worker rights.
Ensure Health Care for all Californians, Regardless of Residency Status
California is home to more immigrants than any other state, nearly 2 million of whom are uninsured. Approximately 1.2 million of those individuals are from low-income backgrounds and should qualify for Medi-Cal. Recently, Trump's action to expand "Public Charge" threatens the ability of immigrants in our state to use our Medi-Cal and social programs. It aims to instill fear and deter immigrants from receiving assistance from programs that are created with the purpose to protect and serve their basic human rights. I strongly support AB 2965 and SB974, both of which would help low-income undocumented immigrants gain access to Medi-Cal. These bills help us move closer to universal health care, targeting new resources to the estimated 1.2 million undocumented adult immigrants in California who are uninsured and low-income. I will work closely with my colleagues to ensure that all Californians, regardless of residency status, have access to the health care they deserve.
Ensure Quality Educational Opportunities for our Immigrant Students
We must invest in our children by investing in our schools, and making sure that every student--including the over 250,000 undocumented children who attend Californian schools--has access to the educational opportunities they need to thrive in and out of the classroom. Our schools should be safe havens for immigrants children, fostering an environment for learning and inclusion.
In addition to the fact that all children, including our immigrant students, have a legal right to a free public education, we know that our workforce and our economy do best when we expand educational opportunities for our immigrant students. About 30% of our workers with a bachelor's degree are immigrants, and almost half of our computer and data processing college graduates are immigrants.
In our K-12 system, we can better support our immigrant students by expanding English Language Learner interventions, multilingual educational programs, and other evidence-based learning initiatives that address language barriers to learning. We also need to ensure that immigrant families have access to social services, which we can do by expanding our social safety net and streamlining the process by which undocumented families can access needed services. A total of 750,000 K-12 students in California have at least one parent who is undocumented--their well being and success in school depends on the ability of their families to access basic needs and our social safety net.
In our higher education system, we need to make it easier for undocumented students to access and afford college programs that open up workplace opportunities for them. We also must ensure that campuses are a safe and accepting place for them to learn. Across the board, we should make our community colleges free and open to all, something my friend and our next Governor Gavin Newsom supports too. But as a community college graduate, I also know that tuition and fees are only part of the equation. We need to do much more to make sure students have enough financial aid to afford meals and a safe roof over their head, so that no student has to choose between going hungry and buying a textbook or paying for class credits. This level of financial aid should be available for any student, regardless of their residency status.
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