Calif. bill may extend legal aid to migrants convicted of felonies

(NewsNation) — Amid nationwide debate on migrant support, California has proposed a new bill to provide legal assistance to immigrants in the country illegally who have been convicted of crimes.

Currently, state law prohibits grant money from being used to provide legal services to those immigrants appealing convictions for violent crimes or serious felonies.

However, Assembly Bill 2031, also known as the Representation, Equity, and Protections (REP) for All Immigrants Act, seeks to remove the stipulation, widening access to services like interpreters, social services and litigation costs.

The bill is scheduled to be heard Tuesday in the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee, but it’s facing pushback from some Republican lawmakers.

“Giving taxpayer-funded help to illegal immigrants to evade and be able to stay in California in the U.S. So, when I saw this bill, I said I have to raise the flag; I have to raise the alarm and make sure our Californians are aware of what’s really going on in Sacramento,” said Republican Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, who introduced the bill in February, insists the goal is to expand immigration services regardless of migrants’ ability to pay, language or past interactions with the criminal legal system.

“For as long as I have been in state office, I have worked towards ensuring people are given a second chance and have championed efforts to prevent people from being treated as second-class individuals,” Jones-Sawyer said in a statement.

NewsNation reached out to Jones-Sawyer for comment but has not heard back.

If approved, the bill would be referred to the policy committee, where lawmakers will closely examine the changes the bill would make to multiple provisions in California’s Welfare and Institutions Code.