California Governor Jerry Brown: On Immigrants — “We will defend everybody – every man, woman and child – who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state”
California Governor Jerry Brown gave a fiery “State of the State Speech” yesterday in the California State Capitol and highlighted how the state would, among other things, resist any efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on immigrants and stop addressing climate change. For a report on the speech, click here. Here is the prepared text.
One topic that Governor Brown focused in his speech on was immigration:
“So as we reflect on the state of our state, we should do so in the broader context of our country and its challenges. We must prepare for uncertain times and reaffirm the basic principles that have made California the Great Exception that it is.
First, in California, immigrants are an integral part of who we are and what we’ve become. They have helped create the wealth and dynamism of this state from the very beginning.
I recognize that under the Constitution, federal law is supreme and that Washington determines immigration policy. But as a state we can and have had a role to play. California has enacted several protective measures for the undocumented: the Trust Act, lawful driver’s licenses, basic employment rights and non-discriminatory access to higher education.
We may be called upon to defend those laws and defend them we will. And let me be clear: we will defend everybody – every man, woman and child – who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state.”
I had the privilege of being in the California Governor’s Office watching the Governor’s address and attended a reception for new California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. The crowd seemed energized by Governor Brown’s speech.