“No More Xenophobia”: Calififornia Governor Criticizes Trump On Immigration

California has another governor taking on President Trump,  As NPR reports, in his first State of the State speech, California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized what he called President Trump’s “fear-mongering” over the “so-called ‘border emergency'” as a “manufactured crisis” and “political theater.”  

“The answer to the White House, with all due respect: No more division, no more xenophobia and no more nativism,” he said, one day after signing an order removing most California National Guard troops from the Mexican border.

Here is the prepared text of the speech.  And the following is a telling passage on immigration:

“Let us state the facts. We are currently experiencing the lowest number of border crossings since 1971.

In California, like our nation, our undocumented population is at its lowest level in more than a decade.

Some 550,000 fewer in our state alone.

Immigrants, both those here legally and those without documentation, commit crime at a lower rate than native-born citizens.

And those families, women and children, seeking asylum at our borders, are doing so lawfully.

Those are the facts. The border “emergency” is a manufactured crisis and California will not be part of this political theater.

We’re not backing down. Just yesterday, I gave the National Guard a new mission – one that will refocus on the real threats facing our state.

A third of our forces currently on the border will be redeployed to help prepare for the upcoming fire season by joining CAL FIRE in prevention and suppression. Work, ironically, the federal government curtailed during the recent shutdown.

Another third will boost the National Guard’s statewide Counterdrug Task Force by redeploying up north to go after illegal cannabis farms, many of which are run by cartels, are devastating our pristine forests, and are increasingly becoming fire hazards themselves.

The remaining third of our Guard will focus on stopping criminals smuggling drugs and guns through existing border checkpoints.

A wall that stretches thousands of miles through the wilderness will do nothing to stop this threat.

This is our answer to the White House: No more division, no more xenophobia and no more nativism. We suffered enough from that in the nineties with Props 187 and 227.”

KJ