California Governor Jerry Brown Signs Bill to Help Unaccompanied Minors from Central America
Among the dozens of bills signed by California Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday was one designed to help the thousands of undocumented unaccompanied minors that crossed the border in the last couple of months. The bill allocates funds to provide the children with attorneys.
The bill signed by Governor Brown would allocate $3 million to designated nonprofits, according to NBC News. These would provide the unaccompanied children with attorneys to represent them in court.
The bill has been in the works since August, at the height of the crossings by the undocumented immigrants. Governor Brown as well as the state's Democratic lawmakers proposed it, according to VOXXI.
"Helping these young people navigate our legal system is the decent thing to do and it's consistent with the progressive spirit of California," Brown said in a statement at the time.
Democratic state senator Ricardo Lara praised the passing of the bill, reported NBC News. He is also chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus.
"Deportation for some of these kids is tantamount to a virtual death sentence so it's important that they have access to the adequate legal representation,'' he said in a statement.
According to Bloomberg, the governor also passed new bills that would do away with "ambiguity regarding the jurisdiction of state courts to make findings necessary to enable the federal government to grant the children special immigrant juvenile status."
Numbers provided by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol show that more than 60,000 "unaccompanied alien children" have crossed into the U.S. as of Aug. 31. The children turned over to government officials have been placed in temporary housing around the country or with relatives in the U.S. Some will apply for asylum or juvenile immigrant status.
Governor Brown also signed a series of education bills, including one that limits school officials' ability to suspend students, according to the Sacramento Bee. He also vetoed $50 million budget
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