California State Senator Scott Wiener, who is running to succeed Representative Nancy Pelosi in Congress, is continuing his attempts to cripple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state.
Wiener was previously responsible for the state’s No Secret Police Act, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and unconstitutionally sought to ban ICE from wearing facemasks. U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder struck down the law, stating that it could not specifically target ICE while excluding state law enforcement.
Now, with the midterm elections looming, Wiener has spearheaded the No Kings Act, which is currently awaiting Gov. Newsom’s signature after being passed by the California legislature. The bill seeks to make it easier for people to sue ICE for alleged abuses of power.
Proponents of such bills like to frame them as “reining in” the agency, but in reading the legislative draft, it is unsurprisingly clear that Wiener and his Democratic Party allies do not regard ICE as a legitimate government organization at all. The bill claims that ICE is waging a “terror campaign,” and one sub-header reads: “ICE is Rampaging Lawlessly Through Cities Across the Nation.” There are references to ICE allegedly committing illegal acts in the text, while of course, the phrase “illegal immigrant” is nowhere to be found.
Wiener’s bill comes at a time when ICE is stepping up enforcement in Northern California, despite both state and local politicians attempting to hamper them via legislation and long-standing sanctuary city ordinances. While Newsom has occasionally bucked his party’s left wing and vetoed select legislation, the recent bill is firmly in the mainstream of current Democratic thought, as well as Newsom’s own stated opinions. It is likely that he will sign the bill into law, setting up another court showdown.
Wiener faces a competitive election with San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Connie Chan come November. Rep. Pelosi has endorsed Chan, who is significantly less-known nationwide than Wiener, but has largely united leftist support in San Francisco. The differences between the two candidates come down largely to housing policy, and Chan will be no better than Wiener on the issue of immigration should she pull off an upset, despite her not making similarly attention-grabbing moves on the local level. In the meantime, all there is to do is for the Trump administration to continue fighting Democratic efforts to render ICE powerless.
