http://www.dailydemocrat.com/letters/ci_15125585Quote:
California and Arizona immigration laws similar
Daily Democrat
Created: 05/20/2010 08:28:02 AM PDT
There has been a lot written about Arizona's new Immigration Law that is to go into effect in their state in July. City councils in large cities across California are wanting citizens to boycott Arizona. You hear that the law is racial, it's nazism, it's profiling ... etc. Maybe it would behoove these elected officials to read our own state immigration law. It seems to be quite apparent to me that our officials didn't read Arizona's law. It's pretty much akin to the pot calling the kettle black.
California's immigration law is relatively short and direct in dealing with illegal aliens in the Golden State. Our immigration law falls under Penal Code section 834b, and boy, I got to tell you, it reads a lot like Arizona's law that has upset so many politicians here. You could accuse Arizona of plagiarism concerning some of the wording in subsections (1), (2), and (3) of California's Penal Code 834b. To summarize these subsections, they deal with (1) verifying legal status of a person(s) that a police officer suspects may be here illegally by questioning and demanding (not my word) documentation, (2) advising such person(s) if he/she is here illegally that they must either obtain legal status or leave the United States, and (3) notify the Attorney General of California and Federal Immigration Service of the apparent illegal status and any additional information requested by any other public entity. My educated guess, that public entity would be the Border Patrol.
Maybe our politicians should ask us to boycott ourselves. After all they're doing such a fine job running this state.
Calif. Penal Code Sec 834b wrote:
834b. (a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.
(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following:
(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status.
(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States.
(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity.
(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly prohibited.