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The Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved $750,000 in funding for support and defense of immigrant and refugee populations Tuesday.
The vote means that the county can also take advantage of $750,000 in matching funds offered by an anonymous donor, giving the county $1.5 million available to be allocated by the county’s Social Services Agency to benefit immigrant populations.
Board president Wilma Chan in calling for the funding said that 30 percent of the county’s residents were born in another country, a population of 439,000. Of those, 105,000 are undocumented and 222,000 have become citizens, according to Chan’s office.
“I think this is just the first step,” Chan said of Tuesday’s vote. “I’m going to continue to work on this with other funders.”
She said her greatest fear is for children to come home and find their parent is being detained or deported. Chan started calling around just after the November election, looking for possible funding sources for legal defense and other services for immigrants vulnerable to the tough immigration policies of President Donald Trump.
The supervisors heard over an hour of supportive public comment before their vote today, including from Juliana Batista, the Unaccompanied Minor Services Coordinator at Hayward Unified School District.
Batista works with children in the district who came from other countries without their parents or whose parents have been deported, including populations from countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras who have fled poverty and gang violence and are seeking education and employment opportunities.
She said that the students perform much better when their health care and legal needs are met.
“We have seen an increase in the number of students who are arriving here to the United States,” Batista said. “In many ways they are pushed out of their countries to find safety here.”
Pamela Drake, a former Oakland teacher working with the California Sanctuary Campaign, also spoke in support of the measure and said she was heartened by the leadership on this issue demonstrated by Alameda County and in Sacramento, where state legislators are working to declare California a “Sanctuary State.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off federal funding for so-called sanctuary cities, where local law enforcement by policy limits coordination with federal immigration officials. He has even threatened to cut off funds for the entire state, despite California residents paying more in taxes than the state receives in federal funds.
“We are a donor state and we need to find some way if our funds are turned off by the feds, that we do the same for the feds,” Drake said.
Also among the speakers in support of the funding was Oakland City Councilman Noel Gallo. The Oakland City Council voted last month to allocate $150,000 for the legal defense of immigrants.
“It’s really about children and families to make sure they have an opportunity, an opportunity to grow in this country,” Gallo said.
— Bay City News Service
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How about finding the funding to support our Veterans. We have money to spend for non citizens but not for our Service Men and Women. Shame on you Alameda County
What a total waste of taxpayers money. Immigrants are just fine when they come through the established legal entry system, qualify, and under the quota for that country allowance. And how about using those funds for those who need it and qualify legally on all fronts.
Another reason we have the officials in office who arent qualified and run on emotional reasoning only
This makes me woefully sad. Like BJ, above, there are far more important ways to spend our money on our already challenged populations who are both residents and citizens. When will citizens of this country count enough to garner our own tax dollars?? This includes funding for education, too. So very sad.
I agree there are plenty of citizens and LEGAL immigrants who need assistance that we can help. It is also important to recognize that no matter how you voted it is President Trump not Trump and the author stated.
There is a legal way for illegals to get into the United States. Isnt everyone tired of paying and paying for them? I am. I couldn’t get any government help when I was out of work, same goes for two others in my family. Thankfully we are all back working and contributing every day to the deficit.
That money could put people to work, fixing our crummy roads?
Politicians approve these spending projects knowing that if they put it to a vote California tax payers would not approve it, not unless they fraudulently registered illegals to ensure it passed. There will be more of this decision making in the near future. Coming soon to California, the Democrats will make this a ‘Sanctuary State,” and use tax payer’s money to defend it. Does anybody in Sacramento have a degree in Math or Economics? Obviously not, their parents paid for everything, and they are under the assumption that the money tree is in their backyard.
Simply politically driven by an all Democratic Board of Supervisors making $200+ per year. Man, if Term Limits were ever needed, these people should be considered. Some been in for 20 plus years, too, too long.
Anybody read “Atlas Shrugged”?
Proud Vietnam Vet and lifetime California resident, earned everything I have and nothing was “given” to me, it’s time to lock the back door, quit handing out the freebies. Come through the front door, pay your taxes and you’ve got my full support! When did the term “ILLEGAL” change to ” undocumented “??
Follow the money, seems like a payout.
The False Choice is the first refuge of The Right. It’s really easy — set up a comparison between policy X and something else that everybody likes — kittens, puppies, Christmas, veterans. Then pretend there’s an either/or choice to be made. Voila — instant outrage!
Fox News is the master of the tactic — and commenters who use it are the puppets.
That’s a good one Sue. So spending money on veterans instead of illegals is a “false choice” tactic? It seems like your argument is along the lines of: what can I get people to believe instead of using common sense. Is that a tactic of the left?
Sue wrote ” Fox News is the master of the tactic …”
Can you give us an example of this from Fox News?
As a longtime Alameda County resident I fins these numbers obscene. And,our Stupervisors want us to match more $$$. That is a criminal assault on me/us.
Do I have to sue my country to stop this insanity. This is a more recent phenom.When my Grandparents came 90-100yrs ago, when were a strong country, NObody got 50 cents from the government. We had not even started collecting income tax. In 1913, after 150 yrs, we started that tax, but it was NOT for newcomer benefits. Around that period people immigrants needed ‘sponsors’ to be ‘responsible’ for all their living costs for 5 (FIVE)years. Not one taxpayer cent.
Today I have to pay their medical, these non-citizens get Cal seats, I’m made to pay their tuition, then they tell my Grandkid’s seats full. Brown is making us a Sanctuary ‘state’!!! MY rights are being trampled!
Stop the insanity !
How dare ‘our’ Stupervisors just TELL what we are made to pay, and just TELL us they are going to bring in more ! We are suckers, fools. Like they are pimps, making us put out and pay up for their own play money!
It is no wonder Brexit passed…time for us to say, we’re FULL.. ENOUGH!!! NO MORE benefits until LOYAL citizenship.
There are two separate components to our 21st century immigrants.
1. Their ‘presence’.
2. In recent decades there is a certain group of CA politicians who BUY themselves CA elections & continue to stay in office promising ‘presents”. The presents they provide are..from..us TAXPAYERS!! You know schools, rent, medical, anything they want will be provided by US, the taxpayers. Of course, that SUCKS UP our tax $$$ that we want to use on neglected freeways, and structures that are for ‘ALL ‘. But these politicians STEAL our wants & needs $$ to bestow wide range of goodies to all illegals, so at first opportunity the newbies will vote to keep those ‘promisers’ in office !!!
Like in the statement above, the Stupervisors are looking for more large
donors, to then TELL & TAKE MATCHING funds from each of us.. pay up but
SKIP ROADs, and other needs of US TAXPAYERS ! !
These people in office that are taking our tax dollars to aid illegals deserve to lose there job. They’re giving these people priority treatment and depriving our citizens and struggling veterans. Illegals are given housing, food, education, drivers licenses when they can’t even read the road signs while stealing our jobs. These ignorant people in office feel they are above our President by violating our laws. All they’re doing is adding to the problem!
I just read again Stupidvisor opening statement to get my blood racing. On their own, not with any vote from us, they approved funds (that we now have to ante up)to build a legal defense fund for immigrant populations in Alameda County. Stupidvisor Chan says she is looking for more funds.
I have a 3rd generation white male family member in his 50s, a mechanical engineer, who hasn’t had a salary since 2009 because our big valley employers wants cheap H1B visa workers, instead of middle-age with looming retirement costs. They have that new phrase called ‘contract worker’…crazy since they do not get contracts or Christmas day pay.It’s all about those employers who are the winners, and those immigrants, and local white males are ignored. Anger? Brexit? yes! bring it on.
Then Chan says she’s coming back for more $$ from us. Her plan is small compared to what Gov Brown has been doing to us…the same taking from us, to transfer to them, except on a giant scale, and he’s expanding & taking even more from us. There is no justice. Funny how Brown and Chan never give us a thought, but expect us to cheer their ‘sharing’.
I have been referencing ‘legal’ immigrants and the insanely pushing of ‘benefits and goodies’ by politicians buying votes, and the taking of good ‘JOBS’ of 2nd and 3rd generation locally-born middle-income Americans
who desperately NEED these jobs. JOBS and excessive benefits.
In the last century we only admitted in numbers we needed at the moment…different every decade, according to OUR needs. There were
periods when we were not allowing any. The admission rates should change
flow according to our needs. We must take this position because of the
over-the-top benefits that politicians make us pay…. back to their ‘presence’ which is one thing, but the big blocker is the ‘presents’
those Brown-like politicians ‘make us provide!! It didn’t use to be like
that.
All of that was without discussing ‘ILLEGALS’, the issue of this decade!
Our current ‘illegal’ situation is cruel to us. The fact our Gov Brown flips off citizens by giving illegals identical drivers licenses, without any ‘markers’ makes their theft of taxpayer benefits excessive and intolerable… the taking of seats in our schools is a crime against every taxpaying citizen.
Legal should be controlled according to our Unemployed numbers of the moment, an illegal simply not allowed.
“105,000 are undocumented and 222,000 have become citizens, according to Chan’s office.”
Is there any mystery regarding which group this defense fund will defend? I think there’s an easy solution that won’t require any defense. Follow the law and reunite these undocumented immigrants with their documents. Do any of us really believe that almost all of these undocumented immigrants don’t make regular trips back home to visit family and deliver their salary? Deportation to your home country is not a prison sentence.
Alternative facts:
“pose no threat what so ever to public safety”
Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez is an illegal alien with multiple felony convictions.
He killed Kate Stienle while she walked with her father in San Francisco.
Alternative, you clearly want our itty-bitty stupidvisors to give up their stupid & costly idea….so as to not bother the illegals, First, I want to sue them as individuals. Clearly, legally, immigration is not in their JURISDICTION, and how dare they spend MY money on fighting the federal government, which is not what my taxes are for, and not what I pay them to do.
America has borders and laws. Period. For me it is all about my money NOT being spent on county infrastructure for example. It is not for Redirecting to other individuals. And my family JOBS that are going to others. My family money and jobs, it’s really quite simply. Safety was never mentioned
by me. It is real quite cut and dried.
I have to run for now, probably back to clarify many false assumptions and alternative vision of what American government is all about.
There is absolutely nothing hateful about enforcing immigration law. There are plenty of middle class and wealthy people in Mexico and other parts of the world from which illegal immigrants migrate.
“Alternative Facts” really needs to look long and hard in the mirror. Do you think that these neighbors that don’t have a piece of paper can’t survive in their country? Do you realize how jingoistic and demeaning you sound? Did you know that there are actually well educated, kind and neighborly people that live in Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, etc.?
The “people without a piece of paper” actually can live, work and raise children in these countries. I realize that you believe that Western democracies are the only hope for the world’s poor, but you are mistaken.
The main issue is the county supervisors feel they are above the law. We have immigration laws in our county, and they want to ignore them. How about if we just ignore the county’s laws because we do not agree with them?
The issue is not immigrants. The issue is we have immigration laws. It is not fair to those who follow those laws when our own government tells some to ignore the laws and that is ok. This sounds just as corrupt as the places many of these illegal immigrants are coming from. Corruption is when laws are consciously not being followed equally.
How dare the supervisors decide to spent my tax dollars on illegals. Where is the help for veterans? Not everyone in this county approves illegals. What rights do we have? What part of ILLEGAL don’t they understand? I am so sick of this liberal group of supervisors. Let them use their own money to defend these people, not mine.
We all are sympathetic to their plight, but donations such as this should not be made on behalf of tax payers without their consent. It’s not the elected’s monoey, nor is it with in their right to determine which charities to support using our tax dollars. There are citizens of this country in great need that deserve first access to “excess” funds and at some point, we need to take care of our own problems, before taking care of others. If they feel this strongly about the issue, the elected should donate their own money, host their own fund raising event, contribute their own time and rally like minded individuals to support whatever they personally deem to be important. I personally support other charities, veterans groups, and homeless initiatives but do so with 100% of my own resources, (both money and time). I find it hypocritical and frankly pathetic they feel so empowered as to dictate on which “political cause” they feel our tax dollars should be spent. Lead by example, drop your personal self-serving politically motivated grandstanding, and spend my tax dollars on programs that are supposed to be with our local government’s purview.
@Sensible, I agree with you. Haggerty has a warchest of campaign funds that he could donate to but he does not feel strong enough on this issue to use his own money so he voted to use our money. All the politicians are addicted to OPM (other people’s money).
So today in a 4 state sweep 363 illegal aliens have been arrested and already deported out of our country. Was this money set aside for them?
None of those raids were in Alameda County California.
According to DHS, all the illegal aliens arrested in the raids were criminal illegal aliens.
Michael yes you are correct so far but I bet dollars to donuts there are warrants to be served here so will out tax dollars be used to try and delay their deportation?
According to ICE The charges range from voluntary manslaughter, child pornography, robbery, kidnapping and rape. Fifty-eight of those captured were known gang members, while eighty-nine were convicted sex offenders.
Unfortunately, the salient issue in our state is that the we now have reached what I would describe as a “critical mass”, such that we now have more “takers” than “makers”. Of course the streaming in of illegals is allowed for only 2 reasons of importance: 1) Obviously those coming in illegally are given all the handouts they need and more, and of course this is a gratuity of the democrats so they are going to “vote” democratic. VOTES. I was stunned when Obama went on TV and encouraged illegals to vote and vowed no repercussions! 2) The huge silicon valley employers circled the wagons for strictly greedy reasons, cheap labor (even having current employees train the new illegals that will replace them!!). Governor Moonbeam put forth a negative budget last month, and needless to say, the cost of catering to the habitual, conventional and medical needs of those not contributing a thing is staggering. No dollar number has ever been attached to this cost for good reason. Since silicon valley & biotech are by far the largest contributors of cash to the state, we should be scared stiff as other countries continue to catch up and even surpass these technological cash generators, such as South Korea. I smell a big bust coming for our State.
There are laws in place for all legal immigrants.
All illegal aliens should have tried the legal route into this country.
When they did not, they were aware of the consequences and seriousness of their illegal entry.
The parents were fully aware of the consequences of their actions that may well cause sickness, death and, or deportation for themselves and their children.
The parents as illegal aliens violated the United States immigration laws and in doing so endangered the life’s of their children.
Illegal aliens have a complete lack of empathy for the United States tax paying citizen.
MA: you do realize the vast majority of illegal aliens work and pay taxes, yeah? And if they all LEFT like SUDDENLY, they blow a hole in the economy? Plus, a whole bunch of jobs would go w/out any warm bodies to fill them?
You really need to take a look at the larger picture.
JustHere:
You are wrong!
The vast majority of illegal aliens do not pay taxes.
They are a part of the under ground economy.
If an illegal alien is paying income tax through pay roll deduction, he/she is using a forged SS number.
This discussion is regarding Alameda County Supervisors using property owners property tax money ($700,000,00)to defend illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigrants do not own property and do not pay property taxes.
Wow, $750k could fix quite a few potholes on Interstate 680.
Or:
Provide the necessary allotment for a reading specialist for a couple of districts.
Increase fire inspectors for the city of Oakland.
Maybe clean up the garbage that is thrown onto the freeways.
Increase police presence in high crime areas.
Thank you liberals/Democrats on this thread and in the county for the absolute mess you’ve made of things.
JustHere……
You must have missed my several comments. I have a 50 yr old male mechanical engineer relative who has not had a ‘job’ with benefits since 2009. Just ‘contract’, aka ‘hourly’, no medical, no holidays. One corp had him for a year, to suit them/their project period, then said will call again for their projects as they come along.They do. So he’s UNemployed for 9-10 months. Then he’ll find something an hour in the opposite direction for their 13 month project, no med, no holiday, Then Unemployed, for4 months, then back an hour in the original direction for a different 9 month project, etc, etc, etc, filing the decade of his 50’s, when he should be saving for retirement. But big corps want cheap kids or cheap h1b visa foreigners….all about the bottom line.
So be it Mexican or Central America illegals, or Asian or Indian techies, there are 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation citizens who are angry, very angry.
COunty Stupidvisors inform us they are sticking us with bill to keep them here…they can pay their own tab.
Sensible, your are so right. They are out of their bounds. We could do a class action lawsuit against the board, for their actions. We must fight back.ST
But the biggie is to STOP the work visas until we have full employment.
MA: Vast majority of illegal aliens don’t pay taxes? Really, please provide your proof. Every article I’ve seen mention taxes states they DO pay taxes, have jobs etc etc. The fact they might use a false SS is a nit in my book.
And before you go more off the rails; keep in mind I’m all for illegal aliens who are less than law abiding get sent straight back, no questions.
However, for those here, have jobs, obey the laws, pay taxes, have children etc etc I’m all for giving them a PATH to being legal that doesn’t require them going out of the country (silly). Slap their hands, put them at the end of the immigration line, fine them, slap their hand again blah blah.
It’s called a compromise.
JustHere:
I can see bits of your points. But, one example, there should be tax, enrollment, and fee fairness to 3rd generation California American taxpayers, who have paid for our CA university system and continue to pay to build and expand…for them, and are subsidizing ‘illegals’.
Admission/presence should be enough, But no, many behave irresponsibly and don’t use birth control, then I’m made to build campus child care centers to provide child care for them. Outrageous! Then 3rd gens are told ‘classes full’. The list goes on and on. It goes back to all those ‘presents’ I am made to ‘provide’ for them! That is just one of a list of benefits, fair of not I’m forced to pay.
PRESENCE should be enough, but some bad politicians make me provide these PRESENTS for them that causes war in the streets. And all with false IDs.
Currently, I, a senior, have a Las Vegas illegal using my Soc Sec number.
That is why Obama always focused on Nev,illegals voting..a battle yet to be fought. I learned of the SS # THEFT when opening a bank account…feds are
starting to track. I am glad I called SS in DC because they said IRS might catch up with me for all that unreported income ! ! ! I am a victim !!! It is NOT a victimless CRIME.
It’s unbelievable how hateful and immoral people are who post on this site. It shows how many people have a complete lack of empathy. I gather none of these people are Christians. I’m not a practicing Christian and don’t consider myself particularly religious, but I know right from wrong and I know the value of the 10 commandments.
Clearly the people who post on this site don’t subscribe to the 10 commandments. Otherwise they would know that treating your neighbor as you would like to be treated extends to all your neighbors, not just your neighbors who have a piece of paper. That’s all it is. A piece of paper. You hate your neighbor because they don’t have a piece of paper.
However, I agree. It is a waste of money to have to set up a fund to protect these people from our federal government. The federal government needs to get their act together and stop making us waste our money defending these poor people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves and their family and pose no threat whatsoever to public safety.
Welcome to the State of Entitlement! What’s new?
@Steve,
Isn’t Mexico a Western Democracy?
Michael Austin: I have no problem deporting violent felons. The problem I have is when the government deports mothers, fathers and especially kids and young adults who were brought here when they were young and know no other life. These people pose no threat whatsoever to public safety.
Brexit: I can see if I can get you or you kids a minimum wage job washing dishes or maintaining landscape. Those are the only jobs I know of that may be opening up soon.
Steve: I’m sure the Nazis thought there was absolutely nothing immoral about following Nazi laws either. The point I’m trying to make is that some laws are immoral and if you say there is nothing immoral about following laws, you don’t know the definition of morality. What we need are laws that humanely deal with the the undocumented immigrants who have children that are US citizens. We also need laws that humanely deal with the children who grew up here and know no other life. If you think it’s so easy for them to uproot and move, I encourage you to give it a try and report back on how easy it is.
Michael: Yes, all those young adult who were brought here by there parents when they were 2 years old were fully aware of the consequences of their parents actions.
Michael: I see you have absolutely no empathy. I can only hope that some day you will learn what it’s like to be on the receiving side of someone else’s complete lack off empathy.