Nothing in Glendora’s recent past has been as contentious as the debate over California’s sanctuary bill.
California State Senate Bill 54 limits cooperation between city and state police and federal immigration officials.
Along with the city councils of Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach and Santa Clarita, Glendora city council members Gary Boyer, Judy Nelson, Michael Alawos, and Mayor Mendell Thompson joined a litany of voices decrying the legislation.
Councilmember Karen Davis was the lone council member supporting it.
The city council’s 4 – 1 vote to join a lawsuit challenging SB 54, Glendora has become a sanctuary for President Donald Trump’s baseless, anti-immigrant trope: the criminal immigrant.
Councilmember Gary Boyer perpetuated fear of undocumented immigrants in a July 10 city council meeting. In a backhanded defense of city residents. Boyer said the law “puts our residents in danger, including those here undocumented.”
Boyer said that the law “releases bad guys back into the neighborhood.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. SB 54 protects undocumented families with no history of violent crime. People with violent pasts are subject to penalties at the police’s discretion.
The law states felony convictions such as rape, robbery and burglary are not protected. The bill enumerates many other crimes not protected like human trafficking, battery, vandalism and hate crimes.
Contrary to Boyer’s claim, SB 54 would not “release bad guys back into the neighborhood.”
The law would not allow it.
Still, President Trump’s supporters cling to other fears—the most prominent being undocumented immigrants increase crime in cities.
False.
A March 2018 study published in the journal Criminology titled, “Does Undocumented Immigration Increase Violent Crime?” found that American cities are not dangerous because of undocumented immigrants.
The study concludes that cities are safer with undocumented immigrants because they have an ambition to work and desire to achieve. So, immigrants are not prone to criminal behavior.
Despite facts and the law, the city council’s challenge to SB 54 shows a disturbing level of ignorance within city leadership.
Challenging the law alienates ethnic groups simply for their undocumented status.
While it is illegal to immigrate to this country without documentation, SB 54 is a humane law that challenges the hurdles immigrants face to live in peace here.
If immigrants should have to defend their right to live here, European. should consider their own migration.
Manifest Destiny, the slaughter of Native Americans, the lynching of California Mexicans, the segregation of minorities and Japanese internment happened in the name of safety of white Americans.
The city of Glendora has its own history of racism, with historical maltreatment of Mexicans, African-Americans and Asian-Americans.
Today, America perpetuates violence through foreign intervention in other countries.The nation is buried in Venezuelan affairs.
America is and has been involved militarily in Nicaragua, Honduras, Chile and Guatemala, whose people still suffer from the effects of U.S. intervention.
Military foreign intervention had the effect of de-stabilizing Latin American countries and displacing their people. U.S. foreign policy shaped the immigration crisis.
But all of this was legal. Herein lies the problem with legality. Legality is defined by history’s “winners”— those who perpetrated the most violence against others.
Legality is guided by human fear and defined by power, particularly the power to commit violence.
Consequently, legality is not defined by humane, moral principle. What is considered legal is the same as what is considered acceptable violence, regardless of moral reprehensibility.
Fundamentally, there is nothing just about the U.S. immigration law because it ignores past violence.
If the Glendora city council refuses to acknowledge history—and renounce its racist past—the city council perpetuates racism in standing against SB 54.
