California will soon no longer witness wholesale violations of civil rights, strained relations between immigrants and local law enforcement and the needless and tragic breaking up of families since Gov. Jerry Brown’s signed into law of the TRUST Act, AB 4, by Assembymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco). The TRUST Act, which was supported by the United Farm Workers, limits when local police agencies can turn over to ICE undocumented persons who are arrested or detained for non-serious crimes.
Hundreds of thousands of Californians will soon no longer live in fear that contacts with police officers will result in their deportation.
The fight is far from over. In signing AB 4, Gov. Brown acknowledged that he is acting because the U.S. Congress has failed to act. House Republicans are still refusing to allow a vote on the bipartisan immigration reform bill passed by the Senate last June. It includes agricultural provisions negotiated by the UFW and the nation’s growers that would free up to 1 million U.S. farm workers from the unauthorized status that makes them so vulnerable to abuse.
Arturo S. Rodriguez, President
United Farm Workers of America