An editorial in the Los Angeles times today calling on Governor Brown to sign Ab-60 and calling on Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Further, we continue to see forward steps such as the passage of the Trust Act . It is a testament to the work of grass-roots community leaders and organizations that California is now becoming an exemplary state in its support of undocumented immigrants. It was not that long ago that the voters supported Proposition 187, Prop 209, and English Only policies in California. Today, the majority of voters support legalization. We have had legislation in CA supporting: cities opting out of e-verify, the right of undocumented students to attend college with financial aid, the right of anyone stopped at a DUI checkpoint to call a friend or relative with a license to pick up their car, and now a bill, AB 60 that would give a California driver’s license to any person who shows payment of taxes, regardless of their immigration status.
In the Latino and Latina Roundtable, we have consistently emphasized working for creating human rights spaces of immigrant support. We continue our work to end any kind of racial profiling that might take place through a license that has been fashioned to comply with the federal Real ID act. Our work in coalitions has been consistent in seeing no contradiction between taking up local issues (such as checkpoints and organizing against racial profiling programs such as Secure Communities) — and fighting on a state level for policies such as driver’s licenses for undocumented — and “fighting together” for national level policies that will immediately lead to permanent residency and citizenship – with no expansion of temporary guest worker (bracero) programs and with labor law protections.
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