Texas Weekly Online

California allocating $35M to support illegal immigrants amid Trump’s mass deportation agenda

California allocating M to support illegal immigrants amid Trump’s mass deportation agenda

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the allocation of $35 million in state funding to support illegal immigrants as the Trump administration carries out its massive deportation agenda. Newsom’s office is releasing the money that the legislature set aside in the state budget to help philanthropic partners support immigrant families with food assistance and other resources, according to a press release. These funds are on top of funds the state already allocated to provide legal resources to those facing deportation. “While the federal government targets hardworking families, California stands with them – uniting partners and funding local communities to help support their neighbors,” Newsom said in the release. “The urgent need grows as the Trump Administration accelerates mass detention, tramples due process, and funds authoritarian enforcement with over $170 billion. As the Trump Administration chooses cruelty and chaos, California chooses community.” DOJ SUES NEWSOM OVER CALIFORNIA MEASURE GIVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS COLLEGE TUITION BENEFITS A spokesperson for Newsom said he has been speaking with immigrant families and community leaders about the federal government’s immigration crackdown. “People are afraid to leave their homes, afraid to go to school or work, and unable to afford groceries,” the spokesperson told CalMatters. California allocated the money despite significant budget constraints, as Newsom’s office anticipates a $2.9 billion deficit in the coming budget year, according to CalMatters. The state also limited health care for illegal immigrants this year to help make up for a larger deficit last year. “When federal actions create fear and instability, our responsibility is to show up for families. This investment strengthens local partners who are helping people access legal services and meet basic needs during an incredibly difficult moment,” Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said in the release. Democrat state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, said the funding shows her party will “continue to stand in solidarity with our immigrant families.” TRUMP TO CUT FEDERAL PAYMENTS TO SANCTUARY CITIES STARTING FEB. 1 OVER IMMIGRATION POLICIES “The federal government is waging a war on our communities – and we won’t stand for it,” Gonzalez said. “We are putting money behind an effort to stop the fear, stop the separation of our families and stop violating our basic rights.” Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a Republican, blasted the funding as “absurd.” “If you were audited by the IRS and found to owe money and back taxes, as a citizen, you couldn’t say, ‘Well, I want a free lawyer to fight the federal government,’” DeMaio told CalMatters. President Donald Trump campaigned on a major immigration crackdown and has since followed through with that promise through mass deportations. In June, Trump signed a budget bill that included $170 billion for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation, an investment that aims to remove up to 1 million immigrants from the U.S. per year over four years. FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO HALT MORE THAN $10B IN FUNDING TO 5 STATES OVER NON-CITIZEN BENEFIT CONCERNS: REPORT California state funds set aside for immigration legal services prevent money from being used to help people with serious or violent felony convictions fight against deportations, CalMatters reported.  California laws do not block state corrections staff from moving illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious or violent felonies to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. “California will never be silent in the face of Trump’s cruel and unlawful immigration raids. We will meet fear and intimidation with courage and action,” Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, a Democrat, said in the release.

House Dem compares Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown to ‘terrorism,’ vows to abolish ICE

House Dem compares Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown to ‘terrorism,’ vows to abolish ICE

Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., compared U.S. enforcement of immigration law to “terrorism” during a Saturday town hall and promised to dismantle the chief U.S. immigration enforcement agency if Democrats regained power. “The frank terrorism that is being invoked – when we call that out and stand together, I think people will continue to not want to do that work,” Dexter told an audience at Wy’east Middle School in Oregon. “I’m not supposed to get political, but if there’s a change in political will, then we can absolutely dismantle and abolish ICE altogether,” Dexter said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Dexter, a freshman progressive lawmaker, is one of many Democrats who have called for reforms to the agency in the wake of public unrest in Minnesota over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. JEFFRIES CLASHES WITH LEFT-WING PODCAST HOST OVER DEMAND TO LEAD PUSH TO ‘ABOLISH ICE’ When two civilians in Minneapolis were shot and killed in separate confrontations with immigration officials in January, Dexter was among the first lawmakers who promised to vote against any spending legislation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that didn’t also include major reforms to ICE, which operates under DHS. Although the vast majority of Democrats eventually adopted Dexter’s stance over DHS funding, the idea first began as a position held by the Congressional Progressive Caucus and was championed by members like Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. PROGRESSIVE DEM JASMINE CROCKETT TARGETS TRUMP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS WITH NEW ‘TRACK ICE’ BILL Gridlock over DHS funding has led to a partial government shutdown which began on Feb. 14, when Democrats in the Senate also refused to advance DHS funding over a set of 10 reforms to ICE. Among those demands, Democrats want to impose new operational limits to the agency, such as an end to roaming patrols, a ban on masks, a requirement for visible identification and stiffer warrant requirements for detaining illegal aliens in public. Those changes would represent the most direct intervention into the agency’s operation since its creation in 2003. Republicans have rebuffed those demands, arguing they would severely limit the administration’s immigration goals. Dexter’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday about the nature of her comments — including whether she had made a campaign promise at a town hall or who had funded the event.

Abbott surges Texas troopers to border after cartel kingpin’s killing sparks violence in Mexico

Abbott surges Texas troopers to border after cartel kingpin’s killing sparks violence in Mexico

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he is surging state troopers to the border and across the state to enhance public safety operations following a spike in cartel violence after the killing of kingpin “El Mencho” over the weekend. On Monday, Abbott, a Republican, directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to “enhance public safety and homeland security operations” across Texas. He said the surge is in response to escalating cartel violence in Mexico that he believes poses a growing threat to American civilians. “Mexican drug cartels pose a significant threat to public safety and national security,” said Abbott. “By increasing proactive efforts to defend against cartel violence, Texas will continue to utilize every tool and strategy to protect our state and our nation.” He vowed that in the face of increased cartel violence, “We will not cower to criminals who impose terror on our fellow Texans and Americans.” TRUMP’S ‘TOTAL ELIMINATION’ STRATEGY PAVED WAY FOR FALL OF CARTEL KINGPIN ‘EL MENCHO’ At the governor’s direction, the state is surging Texas Highway Patrol, Texas Rangers, Criminal Investigations Division, and Special Operations Group resources to the border region to “detect, interdict, and apprehend criminals, and to prevent spillover activity from transnational threats.” Texas is also increasing its Tactical Marine Unit and Aircraft Operations Division presence along the border to detect and apprehend criminals. Further, Texas is activating additional personnel from its Homeland Security Division and Texas Fusion Center to monitor social media and reports of suspicious activity 24/7. This comes as cartel violence that erupted across Mexico left 25 Mexican National Guard troops and more than two dozen criminal suspects among the dead following the killing of Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who was also known as “El Mencho.” The cartel reacted to its leader’s death with violence across Mexico, placing roadblocks and setting vehicles on fire throughout Sunday. CRUZ WARNED MEXICO OFFICIALS ‘PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS GOING TO’ ACT IF THEY DIDN’T FIGHT CARTELS Multiple American tourists vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, also told Fox News Digital they unexpectedly found themselves in the middle of a violent cartel retaliation. As airlines canceled flights and authorities issued shelter-in-place orders, stranded visitors reported cars set ablaze, suspected cartel members blocking major roads, and stores ransacked by looters — scenes some witnesses said made parts of the popular resort city feel like “a war breaking out in the streets.” Witnesses said they were forced to evacuate their rooms, manage with limited hotel food, and even venture outside in search of meals while waiting for Mexican authorities to regain control of the city. Staying at an Airbnb near a main road, Eugene Marchenko, 37, of Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital he woke up to blaring horns and saw six cars completely engulfed in flames just outside his balcony. He and his wife, who had arrived in Mexico only a day earlier, were forced to evacuate for several hours, fearing that a nearby fuel tanker, also ablaze, could explode. EX-NAVY SEAL PUTS ‘DERANGED’ MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL ON NOTICE AFTER VIOLENT WEEKEND: ‘MORE LIKE ISIS’ Abbott urged Texans in need of immediate assistance to call the U.S. Department of State or the Texas Fusion Center, the state’s primary tactical intelligence hub.  He said the state is “closely coordinating” with the State Department and FBI as the situation unfolds.