County of Monterey passed its Immigrants Rights Committee Tuesday
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Passed unanimously Tuesday, the County of Monterey Supervisors decided to move forward with its Immigrants Rights Ad-hoc Committee.
The committee will be led by District 1 Supervisor Luis Alejo and District 3 Supervisor Chris Lopez.
The supervisors stated that the goal of the committee is to bring together local stakeholders for input, communication and to prepare for any mass federal immigration enforcement actions within the county. They are also anticipating using county resources to educate and advocate on behalf of local immigrant communities.
The Monterey County Republican Party Chair Jeff Gorman told KION that wage laborers in the U.S. should not be getting undercut by people in the country illegally.
"I'm not interested in supporting criminal activities and employing illegal aliens is a crime," said Gordon. "If they want someone to play devil's advocate, then I would be happy to do that and we have many others who would do it."
"These people that are here are doing jobs that there was a need for," said District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church. "When I was younger I picked apricots and raspberries and did work with Christmas trees. It isn't easy work and there aren't enough people out there to do it."
Supervisor Alejo said that almost one-third of Monterey County residents are foreign-borne with the county coming only second to Los Angeles. He is hoping to bring back a resolution that designates the county as a "Welcoming County" that would reassure no resources will be used for federal immigration enforcement.
In addition to this, the California Department of Justice's Attorney General Rob Bonta released a statement Wednesday that said in response to president-elect Trump's new immigration reforms, the state is updating model policies and recommendations to public institutions to comply with California law limiting state and local participation in immigration enforcement activities.
"California is the most diverse state in the nation, and immigrants are the backbone of our economy, history, and culture," wrote Bonta in the statement. "My office will continue to use the full force of the law and every tool at our disposal to protect the rights of California’s immigrants – and we need staff at these critical locations to do the same."
Guidelines and models will be offered to the state's superior courts, healthcare facilities, education, labor boards, public libraries and shelters. The state says that the models are aiming to restrict information that indicates a person's immigration status; provide privacy rights to people seeking an institution’s resources; refer law enforcement or legal counsel for immigration enforcement-related requests; identify nonpublic restricted locations within the institution; as well as to document and train workers on how to handle immigration enforcement-related requests.
In Monterey County, officials are not only offering the committee to In addition to the new committee, the county is printing "Know Your Rights" material set for distribution as well as placing at least four "Know Your Rights" forums throughout the county--peninsula, north county, south county and another in an undisclosed area.
Supervisor Alejo and Executive Director at the Monterey County Farm Bureau Norm Groot agree that losing the area's immigrant population will have a significant impact on food supply and economy, both locally and nationally. Alejo specifically referenced any sector involving immigrant workers will see prices go up if president-elect Trump's administration proposals go into effect.
Additionally, concerns over ICE in the jail system as well as topics involving educaiton were addressed.
"Our school systems are already mobilizing," said District 4 Supervisor Wendy Root-Askew, referencing Monterey Peninsula Unified School District's (MPUSD) Know Your Rights Forum on December 9 at the Oldemeyer Center from 6 to 8 p.m.
"I'm sure all of you are getting the same phone calls from people you know who are just terrified," said District 5 Supervisor Mary Adams. "This one fella who called me said I don't know what they're going to do if they take me. She needs my help. She's in pre-med how will she be able to continue. It's heartbreaking."
The Monterey County Republican Party Chair Jeff Gorman disagrees with the county's decision and actions, saying that Monterey County should not be doing things that are counter to federal law.
He also added that if the county wants to add a republican voice, including his own, to the committee, he would be more than willing to join.
