Gov. Brown reaches his limit on immigrant rights

Tom Elias
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There is a school of thought, mostly pushed by Latino activist politicians, which says undocumented immigrants contribute to American life and prosperity and therefore should have virtually all the rights of citizens.

For a long time, it appeared an unlimited granting of rights previously reserved for U.S. citizens would be among the major legacies of outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown. But even for Brown, there turned out to be a limit.

Brown signed the law giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. He OK'd rules making all immigrant children, even the undocumented, eligible for state-paid medical insurance under Medi-Cal. He gave that same group access to in-state tuition for public colleges and universities. He signed a bill allowing non-citizens — even those here illegally — to practice law and become accountants. Then he approved the hiring of legal immigrants as poll workers.

On his watch, illegal immigrants began voting in California for the first time ever. That happened without many problems and without much fanfare this fall in San Francisco, where a few dozen undocumented parents of children in that city’s public schools cast ballots legally in a school board election.

In short, Brown quietly did more to assimilate immigrants into the daily commercial and political life of California than anyone before him. 

His limit came in a bill allowing non-citizens to serve on official boards and commissions. Brown’s message was simple and succinct when he vetoed SB 174, authored by termed-out Democratic state Sen. Ricardo Lara of East Los Angeles, about to become state insurance commissioner. Lara helped write the law giving driver's licenses to the undocumented and was a sponsor of California’s “sanctuary state” law.

Brown said in his SB 174 veto message, “I believe existing law — which requires citizenship for these forms of public service — is the better path.”

Lara disagreed, saying non-citizens deserve representation in public life because they pay at least some taxes. Lara added, “Qualified Californians who have worked hard and are experts in their field should be given the opportunity to serve the state, regardless of immigration status.”

Lara also told legislators as his bill progressed through one committee after another that only immigrants with work permits, known as green cards, would be able to claim payment for their service.

Brown, however, drew a line. But it’s uncertain whether Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will go the same way if and when a similar bill makes it through the Legislature.

The efforts to give non-citizens more rights and privileges are part of a movement toward complete normalization of life for immigrants who have not bothered to become citizens, including the undocumented. Ironically, the harder President Trump pushes for deporting every illegal immigrant, the greater the pushback from their supporters.

There’s now a movement, for example, to let immigrants over 18 vote in all local and state elections. It is backed by some prominent politicians, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Wrote one syndicated columnist, “Non-citizens, legal and not, are ready. Many have been residents for decades. The younger ones learned the principles of American democracy in our school systems and some volunteer for candidates and causes. Their economic power and concern for our collective future is qualification enough (for) the voting booth.”

The problem is that giving this ultimate civic right to non-citizens, along with all the other privileges Brown OK'd, removes much of the incentive to do the basic book-learning needed to become a citizen.

Letting non-citizens vote or serve as government officials of any kind is a bad idea — something even a dedicated immigrant advocate like Brown realized.

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