By Stephen Hobbs
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that aimed to prevent former federal immigration officers from finding law enforcement and other jobs in California, a sweeping proposal that passed the Legislature with strong Democratic support.
Newsom, in a veto message Wednesday, said the Trump administration was using “horrific tactics” to instill fear and panic with its aggressive immigration enforcement efforts, but said AB 1896 was a “step too far.”
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“It is a mistake to discourage empathetic and qualified Americans from working in the federal government, or choosing to leave long-standing employment with the federal government because they find the current administration’s policies and tactics reprehensible,” he said. “Moreover, hiring for state and local government employees already requires specific standards, including evaluations of personal conduct, and any employees who violate those standards would be held accountable.”
Assembly Bill 1896 aimed to disqualify people involved in immigration enforcement from being hired for city, county and state agency jobs, including with police and sheriff departments. Its passage would likely have escalated tensions with the Trump administration, which has tried to rapidly hire U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to carry out a widespread deportation operation. It also could have faced legal challenges.
The bill was co-authored by Assemblymember Mark González, D- Los Angeles, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D- Hollister. It was dubbed the GTFO Act, for “Get the Feds Out.”
“From the beginning, the GTFO Act was about a simple principle: We should never use public dollars to reward conduct that has caused fear, terror, and pain in our communities,” González said in a statement. “I am proud to have stood alongside my brother, Speaker Rivas, in this fight and this fight is not over.”
Newsom’s veto did not come as a complete surprise after the governor did not include the measure in more than 20 immigration-related bills he signed on Tuesday. One of the measures he approved says that people who had their certification as an officer revoked while working for the federal government, including in immigration enforcement, would be disqualified from being a police officer in the state.
On Wednesday, he also vetoed a measure that would have prevented federal law enforcement officers involved in immigration enforcement from using their experience to obtain a state training waiver.
The vetoes came on what was the final day the governor could sign or reject bills that passed in the Legislature this year.
Should states be allowed to restrict hiring for former federal officers? Why or why not?
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