more-inCalifornia became the first “sanctuary state” for undocumented immigrants on Friday, a decision criticised by the Trump administration which believes the move will compromise security. It also limits cooperation between local police forces and federal authorities in operations to track down undocumented immigrants. The legislation, which will come into effect on January 1, 2018, is part of a series of laws which protect the almost three million undocumented immigrants living in California — most of whom are from Mexico and Central America. “They are free to use their own considerable resources to enforce federal immigration law in California,” he wrote, adding that the new legislation will not deny ICE access to prisons. A number of cities in California, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, have already banned police officers from collaborating with ICE on operations to capture undocumented immigrants.

Source: The Hindu October 07, 2017 14:03 UTC