California Immigration Reform 2017: Democrats Ready Bills To Stop Donald Trump, Protect Undocumented Immigrants

Democrats in California are making sure President-elect Donald Trump has a tough time enacting any of his campaign promises regarding immigrants. One of two bills arriving in the state Legislature Monday, which gained a supermajority of Democrats on Election Day, will aid undocumented immigrants facing deportation, while the second legislation will provide educational resources and training for their public defenders.

Voters in the Golden State, where Latinos outnumber whites and there are more immigrants than any state in the country, vowed to protect its undocumented immigrants after Trump won the election. California politicians were also vocal in their opposition to the president-elect’s promise to deport millions of immigrants upon assuming office Jan. 20.

"Throughout the presidential campaign and since, the president-elect has made many troubling statements that run counter to the principles that define California today," Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León said in a statement. "There is no greater policy area than immigration where the comments run headlong to the values we share as Californians."

Now, with a more than two-thirds majority in the state Senate and Assembly, it appears California is gearing up to take on the White House.

The bills, called "due process for all," are expected to pass easily through the legislature Monday as one of the first progressive batches of legislation California Democrats are readying for 2017. The first legislation allocates funding to non-profit organizations providing resources and legal aid to undocumented immigrants. The legislation also provides limits to local law enforcement’s ability to work with federal immigration agents, effectively blockading national efforts to deport immigrants in the coastal state. The second bill will provide funding to educational training programs for public defenders tasked with immigration and deportation cases.

Lawmakers are aware that time is of the essence: the joint bills were drafted under an urgency clause, which allows each to go into effect immediately after approval from the governor’s office. Urgency clauses require state legislation to receive two-thirds majority vote.

California Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign both bills if they're passed by the Legislature.