"We remember the experiences of our own ancestors who came to this country as strangers and struggled to achieve full inclusion in American life and so we stand in partnership with California's immigrant communities to address the suffering of today's generation of aspiring Americans."
Contact: Sean Thibault
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
SACRAMENTO, C.A., July 16th, 2013 - In anticipation of the TRUST Act coming before the California State Senate and Governor Jerry Brown Brown's consideration of the legislation, Reform CA, a campaign of the California Reform Jewish Movement, sent the following letter to Governor Brown:
Dear Governor Brown,
We are Reform CA, a campaign of the California Reform Jewish Movement, collectively representing over 36,000 Reform Jews in California acting together for justice in our great state. We write to express our strong support for a just TRUST Act that will protect as many of California's immigrants as possible.
AB4 is needed to fix the negative impact of the Secure Communities program, which has created a climate of fear in the immigrant community, has thrust our immigrant brothers and sisters into the shadows, and has adversely affected law enforcement's ability to make our towns, cities, and state safer. We urge you to stand with us in support of a TRUST Act that:
- Does not hold for deportation individuals who only have a prior immigration violation;
- Does not hold for deportation individuals who have committed only a misdemeanor;
- Minimizes the risk of deporting innocent people by requiring a probable cause determination before holding an individual for deportation.
We are deeply concerned that your proposed amendments will exclude tens of thousands of immigrants and their families from the protections of the TRUST Act. As California Reform clergy, we are compelled by our tradition's teaching: "When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Leviticus 19:34) We remember the experiences of our own ancestors who came to this country as strangers and struggled to achieve full inclusion in American life and so we stand in partnership with California's immigrant communities to address the suffering of today's generation of aspiring Americans.
It is in this spirit that we reach out to you in partnership to pass a just TRUST Act.
Sincerely,
Undersigned Rabbis and Cantors of the Reform Movement in California
