Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa, the top two California gubernatorial candidates, vowed to defend the state’s sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants after the Justice Department on Tuesday evening announced it would try to use the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause to strike down the Golden State’s “sanctuary” laws.
Though Newsom, the lieutenant governor, and Villaraigosa, the former Los Angeles mayor, are battling over single-payer health insurance, their vows to not “back down” and never let President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions bully them on immigration represent how far to the left the state has lurched on immigration issues.
“This is California, and we’re not going to back down from defending our values and the immigrants who contribute so much to our state,” Villaraigosa said. “Our country and our state were built on the backs of immigrants, and we can’t turn our backs on them now.” He also tweeted out the same sentiment in Spanish.
This is California, and we're not going to back down from defending our values and the immigrants who contribute so much to our state. Our country and our state were built on the backs of immigrants, and we can't turn our backs on them now. https://t.co/cniTFQX8Sv
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@antonio4ca) March 7, 2018
No vamos a parar de defender nuestros valores y la comunidad inmigrante que contribuye tanto a nuestro estado. Nuestro país y California ha sido hecho por los esfuerzos de nuestros inmigrantes, y no podemos darles la espalda ahora. https://t.co/uK0bmx11SX
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@antonio4ca) March 7, 2018
Newsom, who has previously vowed to keep California a sanctuary state, claimed that sanctuary policies keep “communities safe and are consistent with the Constitution.”
The lieutenant governor said California had a message for Trump and Sessions: “We will not be bulled into accepting your ‘fear of everything’ agenda.”
Sanctuary policies (like SB-54) keep our communities safe and are consistent with the Constitution.
Hope you’re paying attention @jeffsessions and @realDonaldTrump because CA has a message for you:
We will not be bullied into accepting your “fear of everything” agenda. https://t.co/OtYTYrhu0X
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 7, 2018
Other California statewide leaders—including Governor Jerry Brown, who officially signed the sanctuary state legislation into law, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has vowed to sue businesses that help Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain illegal immigrants, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)—also vowed to not let the Trump administration “bully” the Golden State.
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