California, in general, is an immigrant-friendly state. Yes, deportations do happen, but, overall, laws are being passed frequently that are intended to help those who are residing in the state without proper documentation. So, what are the current state laws regarding immigrantion?
Just as there are numerous federal laws related to immigrantion matters, California has many of its own. One that is particularly helpful to undocumented immigrants pertains to local law enforcement officials’ roles in immigrantion enforcement. Police officers are not required to check immigrantion status during routine traffic stops, nor are they required to enforce hold requests from U.S. immigrantion and Customs Enforcement agents.
Immigrants are also granted certain rights in regard to obtaining jobs and receiving certain types of public assistance. When it comes to employment opportunities, generally, employers are required to verify that employees have the appropriate authorization to work in the country; however, there are certain jobs — such as farming — for which this is not necessarily true. When it comes to receiving public assistance, federal laws may prohibit undocumented immigrants from obtaining government benefits, but California laws do allow these individuals to receive some help — mostly in the form of health care.
These are just a few of many laws regarding immigrantion in California. Lawmakers are frequently revisiting this subject as they seek to find solutions to this very complex problem. At the end of the day, undocumented immigrants do have certain rights while they reside in the country. Legal help is available to them as needed in order to fight deportation issues, apply for legal status or to address any other immigrantion concerns.
Source: FindLaw, “California State immigrantion Laws“, Accessed on Oct. 28, 2015
