Attempt to prevent California prisons from transferring sentences to ICE fails

At the end of the 2021-2022 legislative cycle, the measure vision law who sought to stop the transfer of people who had served their sentences to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation, died in the Senate without three votes; and at least four Democratic senators voted against.

Of the 13 votes to 4 were from the Democrats. The Democratic senators who voted no were Bill Dodd, Steven Glazer, and two Hispanic women: Susan Talamantes of Stockton and Melissa Hurtado of Bakersfield. The list of Democrats abstaining from Los Angeles County includes Senator Susan Rubio from Whittier, Bob Archuleta from Pico Rivera; Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys, Anthony Portantino of Glendale.

The Vision Act, AB 937, would ensure that individuals who have served their sentences would not be turned over to federal immigration authorities unless Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers present a federal warrant.

“The State Senate had the opportunity to send Governor Newsom a bill that would remove double punishment for immigrants who have served time, been exonerated, and found eligible for release by the State Parole Board,” Los Angeles Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo said in a statement. author vision law.

He emphasized that, as things stand, the California Department of Corrections will continue to work with ICE and provide a dual justice system that treats non-citizens, including permanent residents and veterans, unequally by voluntarily providing a notice of release to immigration authorities.

“The continued scapegoating of refugees and immigrants, and the constant work of narratives about good immigrants and bad immigrants, is shameful and casts a shadow over the criminal justice reform work done in the state.”

Angela Chan on behalf of the coalition ICE outside California (ICE from Californiaa), who played a major role in campaigning for the Vision Act, expressed outrage at the Senate vote.

“The failure of the Senate to pass the Vision Act means that families across the state will continue to see long-awaited reunions with loved ones who have earned their freedom from prison, or prison becomes a nightmare and instead they are separated again and detained by ICE.”

He went on to say, “Let’s be clear: While we express our disappointment with the vote, we also commit to continue working day and night to end ICE’s transfer practice.”

And he said, most importantly, during the fight to get this measure into law, the leadership of directly affected members of the community, who, by sharing their stories from prison cells, detention centers and even across borders, forever changed public opinion on this issue, was noted. problem.

This bill was born out of years of cooperation between police agencies and ICE to report immigrants who are about to get out of jail or prison.

For months, organizations across the state have held rallies, press conferences, called, emailed, and organized their senators to urge their legislators to side with immigrants, end double punishment, and invest in the rehabilitation of all Californians.

Despite this, many senators abstained from voting, leaving them short of votes to pass the measure. Riverside Democratic Senator Richard Roth abstained despite overwhelming support for the bill by his constituents.

Riverside County has also been hit hard due to its proximity to Adelanto, the largest detention center on the West Coast.

Lisbeth Abeln, director of the organization for the defense against deportation Inner Coalition for Immigrant Justicesaid California leaders have once again let down thousands of immigrant families.

“The Vision Act, AB 937, made it possible to stop constitutional violations against immigrants, restore justice, and stop the cycles of suffering from prison to deportation.”

Abeln announced that it was not all over with this legislative defeat, but that they would return to give back to the communities as all ICE transfers were to be banned and detention centers closed.