In a brave move that has California Governor Gavin Newsom quaking in his boots, America First Legal (AFL) has added Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco as a plaintiff in its lawsuit against Newsom and infamous Attorney General Robert Bonta, which is aimed at challenging the state’s controversial sanctuary laws.
For context, these laws block local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, which, according to AFL, violates several federal statutes and restricts the free speech rights of officers.
Building on this point, AFL noted that these far-left laws shield illegal aliens, endanger public safety, and have contributed to a massive 20% surge in violent crime since 2017. The brave lawsuit seeks an end to these short-sighted laws and, according to legal experts, forces police officers to commit federal crimes.
In any case, James Rogers, America First Legal Senior Counsel, announced his reaction to the new development in an official press release. The conservative lawyer said, “AFL is pleased to announce that Sheriff Chad Bianco has now joined the City of Huntington Beach in challenging California’s illegal alien sanctuary laws.”
Additionally, Rogers slammed the California government, saying, “AFL is proud to represent Sheriff Bianco in this important lawsuit to stop California from defying federal immigration laws and will continue to relentlessly defend our nation’s border security and protect American citizens.”
In the same document, AFL dug into the background of the case and provided an ironclad argument for their suit, saying, “States do not have the power to overturn federal law. And under federal law, it is a crime to conceal, harbor, or shield illegal aliens. It is also a federal crime to prevent federal officials from discharging their duties.”
Still not done, AFL hammered away at these controversial laws. The press release stated, “California’s sanctuary laws require local law enforcement to commit federal crimes. Those sanctuary laws also infringe the free speech rights of law enforcement officers by controlling what they’re allowed to say to the Department of Homeland Security.”
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Laying out the case explicitly, AFL noted, “In this context, the legal violation is even clearer because federal law specifically gives local law enforcement officers the power to talk to DHS about the immigration status of individuals.”
Next, the conservative legal group explained how sanctuary city laws violate federal law. The document read, “California’s illegal alien sanctuary laws effectively prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement authorities, unlawfully shield illegal aliens, and threaten public safety. To protect illegal aliens, the State directs local officials, including the Huntington Beach Police and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, to violate federal immigration and criminal statutes…”
Winding down their epic condemnation, the press release argued, “The illegal alien sanctuary laws facially violate two federal statutes, 8 U.S.C. §§ 1373 and 1644, which specifically give authority to local officials to communicate with DHS about the immigration status of individuals.”
Concluding its remarks. AFL hammered the deep-blue state, writing, “Since California began passing sanctuary laws in 2017, tens of thousands of dangerous criminal illegal aliens have been released back into the community, and violent crime has surged nearly 20 percent across the state.”