(The Center Square) United States Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif., reiterated the state\u2019s commitment to continued funding for the deportation defense of migrants and undocumented immigrants.<\/span><\/p>\n President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s promised mass deportations could have a major impact on California, which<\/span> hosts<\/a><\/strong> approximately 2.7 million undocumented immigrants.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s legal assistance, legal advice, legal support, that\u2019s just the California way,\u201d said Padilla when asked if the state would fund legal defense of undocumented immigrants facing deportation. \u201cWe embrace our diversity. Our diversity has made our communities thrive and our economy thrive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Given the state\u2019s looming deficits, Republicans wondered whether such funds would be better spent elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that we would use our tax dollars to defend criminal illegal immigrants is outrageous,\u201d said<\/a><\/strong> State Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, on X. \u201cHow about we use that money to support the victims of the crimes committed by illegal immigrants?\u201d<\/p>\n California already funds legal services for undocumented immigrants, including a separate fund solely for deportation defense, including $24 million<\/a><\/strong> in grants last year solely for deportation defense, and $37 million<\/a><\/strong> in grants this year for a wide range of other immigration-related legal services for legal and undocumented immigrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under current guidelines, individuals who have been convicted for, or are currently appealing conviction of a violent or serious felony are ineligible<\/a><\/strong> for state-funded deportation defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, former Assemblyman Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer Sr. proposed ending the ban on deportation defense for high-level felons. He also proposed allowing these funds to be used for providing<\/a><\/strong> \u201crelief that vacates, eliminates, or reduces a criminal record, conviction, or sentence that may have adverse immigration consequences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The failed bill would have tied in with the 2022 Racial Justice Act, which allows<\/a><\/strong> undocumented immigrants to petition to overturn convictions if said convictions will result in \u201cadverse immigration consequences,\u201d as many higher-level felonies result in deportation orders.<\/p>\n California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s special legislative session<\/a><\/strong> to fund lawsuits challenging the coming Trump administration starts today.<\/p>\n