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Sanctuary Cities put California in showdown with Trump administration

Ruben Navarrette Jr. on

Meanwhile, this whole issue could be moot. During a recent appearance on NBC's "Meet The Press," Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signaled that he might not sign the sanctuary bill after all because of concerns about the language.

Don't fall for it. The real reason has more to do with politics, which has been Brown's stock and trade since 1969, when he was elected to occupy a seat on the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees. Brown, who is now 79 years old, has lived through the eras when his party was depicted as soft toward communism, defense and crime.

He probably has no desire to add illegal immigration to the list. And so he's understandably leery of SB 54, the whole point of which seems to be needling the administration.

Yet Brown also seems to want to keep faith with liberalism. He has said he wants to help undocumented immigrants who have -- through blood, sweat and tears -- given much to the Golden State.

Brown will likely try to strike a balance. But my hunch is that the governor will veto the bill to force the changes he'd like to see.

 

Out in California, when we talk about so-called sanctuary cities, the protection may be fake, but the politics are real.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.

(c) 2017, The Washington Post Writers Group


 

 

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