It’s not clear whether President Trump’s threat to ‘dump’ migrants into so-called sanctuary cities is policy or bluster, but California’s state and local leaders aren’t wasting any time responding. Governor Gavin Newsom, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo are among those mocking or ridiculing the president’s announcement.
Experts say the plan could end up encouraging more undocumented immigrants to flock to the U.S. After all, a free ticket to sunny, progressive SoCal doesn’t exactly sound like much of a threat.
“That fundamental flaw in the logic needs to be considered,” said Newsom.
Schaaf blasted the president for treating immigrants as “pawns,” while Solis and Liccardo called for solutions to the country’s immigration crisis.
Despite his signature promise to rein in immigration, border crossings are at an 11-year high and the number of asylum seekers trying to enter the U.S. has grown exponentially. The president has become visibly frustrated, culminating in the departure of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen this month. Trump’s ‘dumping’ threat came soon after Nielsen’s exit.
California is home to a number of sanctuary cities and, in 2017, Gov. Jerry Brown singed the California Values Act which limits local cooperation with immigration enforcement statewide.
Read more about the president’s peculiar announcement and how California leaders have responded here.