Senator Scott Wiener. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
Sen. Wiener Announces Bill to Allow Illegal Immigrants Run for Official Democratic Party Seats
As the Supreme Court announced Friday it will decide in the Trump administration plan to end the DACA program
By Katy Grimes, June 29, 2019 3:48 pm
Friday, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), introduced legislation to allow illegal immigrants to run for official Democratic Party County Central Committee and State Delegate Seats. According to Wiener, “SB 288 would allow for Dreamers and other immigrants to appear on the ballot in order to run and serve on California Democratic Party Central Committees and as State Delegates to the Party.”
The timing of Wiener’s bill is suspicious since the Supreme Court just announced Friday it will decide if the Trump administration plan to end the DACA program for 700,000 young illegal immigrants can proceed. DACA, created by Executive Order, is the Obama-era “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.”
“The justices announced Friday they will hear oral arguments on the appeal in its next term, which begins in October. A ruling is expected in the presidential election year, putting the high court at the center of one of the most politically charged issues,” Shannon Bream at Fox News reported. Bream is an attorney.
The Trump administration announced in 2017 its plan to end DACA, and was immediately challenged in federal courts in New York and California and blocked by judges.
A long list of other Democrats support Wiener’s bill.
Wiener sent out the following lengthy press release Friday:
Dreamers, Democratic Party leaders, and immigrant rights advocates rallied to announce the introduction of Senate Bill 288. SB 288 would make it legal for Dreamers and other immigrants to run for California Democratic Party County Central Committee seats and for California Democratic Party Delegate positions. It is currently impossible for Dreamers and other immigrants to register as Democrats and thus run for these positions. A “Dreamer” is an individual born in a foreign country who was brought to the U.S. by family or others as a minor and subsequently raised in this country. Many have obtained college degrees, served in the military, and become active participants in their communities. These outdated and discriminatory rules that prohibit them from fully participating in many aspects of civic life have no place in our democracy.
“As our immigrant communities face vicious attacks from this President and his administration, California must embrace, lift up, and empower immigrant voices and leaders,” said Senator Wiener. “Immigrants contribute to our economy, culture, and civic life. They’re already leaders in our communities and should have a seat at the table. The Democratic Party will continue to lead as the party that embraces all communities, and this legislative fix will help keep us on track.”
While existing law does not explicitly require that CDP delegates and central committee members be U.S. citizens, it does specify that, in order to be elected to a position within the CDP, a person must already be registered or affiliated with the party (Elections Code §7209). Registered voters’ party preference is shown on their affidavits of registration at the time they register to vote. Since the affidavit must show an individual is eligible to vote, and non-U.S. citizens are ineligible to register to vote, Dreamers and other immigrants are unable to run for delegate or central committee seats in the CDP.
“Our Party is at its best when it empowers our communities and embraces our diversity,” said California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks. “Today, I am proud to support SB 288 to welcome our immigrant sisters and brothers into the ranks of the California Democratic Party. I look forward to its swift passage and implementation.”
SB 288 allows Dreamers and other immigrants to take on both state and local leadership roles in the CDP. This important measure will help ensure that, in a party committed to empowering and expanding the rights of immigrants, the Dreamer and immigrant perspective can be present and a part of the Democratic Party.
“I am a proud immigrant,” said Sarah Souza, a Dreamer, member of the San Francisco County Democratic Party Central Committee, and President of the San Francisco Latino Democratic Club. “I am American in every way except for documentation. I dream of the day I become a citizen and register to vote. Meanwhile, I want to pave the way for all immigrants to fully participate in the California Democratic Party regardless of citizenship. SB288 is an opportunity for California to truly stand with immigrants; representation is crucial to advancing immigrant justice. Immigrants are the bedrock of California. Therefore, it is time for immigrants to have a seat at the table. California’s non-Citizen population is more than 5 million of the more than 38 million residents of California, and the California Democratic Party is stronger when we utilize the talents of all our residents. SB288 will set an important precedent in the history of California by allowing all Californians to have the ability to represent themselves.”
An estimated 200,000 Dreamers live in California alongside a broader immigrant population of over 2.5 million. Although current law excludes Dreamers and other immigrants from taking on leadership roles in the Democratic and other political parties, a variety of related policies have aimed to better include them in other settings. In 2018, Governor Jerry Brown nominated Lizbeth Mateo to serve as an education advisor. Upon confirmation she became the first-ever Dreamer to receive a statewide appointment. In early 2019 the Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, David Campos, appointed a Dreamer, Sarah Souza, to serve on San Francisco’s Central Committee. Recent legislative actions have also expanded Medi-Cal and other public benefits to many immigrants. Activists and policymakers affiliated with the CDP have been on the forefront of these changes, and there is a broad appetite within the party to better incorporate the perspectives of Dreamers and other immigrants into the political process.
Also present at the press conference were Dreamer and immigrant rights advocate Adriana Souza, California Young Democrats Latino Caucus Communications Director Megan Imperial, San Francisco Young Democrats Co-President Luis Zamora, San Francisco Latino Democratic Club Vice President Kevin Ortiz, California Democratic Party Chicano Latino Caucus Secretary and Immigrant Parent Right to Vote, Prop N (2016) Campaign Manager Gabriel Medina, La Raza Community Resource Center Executive Director Melba Maldonado, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus Policy Director and Senior Staff Attorney Angela Chan, Northern California Democratic Filipino American Caucus Vice Chair Rob Chua, San Francisco Democratic Party Executive Director Han Zou, Rose Pak Democratic Club PAC Chair Queena Chen, DSA San Francisco Electoral Committee Co-Chair, Progressive Democrats of America San Francisco, and Assembly District 17 Delegate Dr. Hae Min Cho, San Francisco Youth Commission President Bahlam Vigil, Mission Economic Development Agency Director Richard Raya, and SEIU Local 2015 Coordinator Leon Chow.
SB 288 is co-authored by Senators Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), and Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), and Assemblymembers David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) and Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).
Additional Quotes:
“We need to update this rule if our party is truly committed to empowering our immigrant communities,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, Chairwoman of California’s Legislative Latino Caucus. “Our DREAMers and immigrant constituents are some of the most actively-engaged community members. They are the leaders we need within the California Democratic Party.”
“It is long past time we ensure our immigrant communities have a seat at the table in the political process,” said Assemblymember Chiu, Chair of the California Legislative API Caucus. “I am proud to co-author this effort with Senator Wiener to give all Californians a voice in our Party.”
“I support SB 288 because it gives our Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants an opportunity to participate in our democratic process by allowing them to serve freely and openly as full members of the California Democratic Party,” said David Campos, Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. “It allows them to come out of the shadows, to have a seat at the table.
“California is home to 2 million undocumented individuals. SB 288 provides opportunities for undocumented individuals, who are already at the margins of our society, to be given a legitimate seat at the table within the Democratic Party. This bill was spearheaded by Dreamer, Sarah Souza. We are proud that Senator Wiener has been and continues to be an ally in the fight to uplift immigrant communities, regardless of citizenship status.” –California Young Democrats Latinx Caucus
“I want to acknowledge the Ohlone people on whose land we live and work, and to whom we are all immigrants,” said Dr. HaeMin Cho, Co-Chair of DSA SF Electoral Committee and Progressive Democrats of America SF, and Assembly District 17 delegate. “I came to this country when I was 2 years old, an undocumented economic refugee from post-war South Korea. We are facing a humanitarian crisis at our border, in our cities, and on our planet. There is only one race and one planet. Thank you Latino Democratic Club President Sarah Souza and SF Democratic County Central Committee Chair David Campos for uplifting all immigrant communities and helping us to have a voice in the political process of the Democratic Party.”
Full text of the bill can be found here.
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Allow them to run for BOTH parties. It’s only far.
There is no need for that. California is a one-party state.
wiener needs to be arrested and tried for Treason.
Let them run for BOTH parties. It’s only fair.
We know where Sen Scott Wiener and others are going with this, don’t we? Their hope is that their radicalized illegal alien recruits will one day be elected to office in the State of California.
Obviously “DREAMERS” has a connotation that is completely misleading. For the Left in California this is no accident. The “DREAMERS” Sen Scott Wiener et al are talking about are neither children nor are they earnest adults just trying to get by under difficult circumstances.
Instead, those who Scott Wiener and his ilk champion are those who have been recruited and radicalized and put on display by a left-wing Democrat party in hopes of furthering a radical agenda that continues to undermine California.
Common sense will tell you that such people don’t even represent rank-and-file illegal aliens or “DREAMERS” as they assert. Instead, these recruits are cocky and off-putting radical activists whose rallying cry is “Undocumented and Unafraid!”
The video below is two years old but is still a useful illustration for those who have not seen the radical activist “DREAMERS”:
Kevin DeLeon “Town Hall” at Democratic Club of Santa Monica, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyOX63lFpQg
In a Jan 2019 article even the L.A. Times revealed (albeit in their usual maudlin way) ballot-harvesting done by DREAMers whose goal was to turn the 2018 election in this state:
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/01/dreamers_tell_of_ballotharvesting_in_california_to_flip_the_house_blue.html#ixzz5bTtwFTpM
It’s interesting that this further attempt to destroy our national identity and sovereignty by the quisling Democrats comes as we should be celebrating the signing of the document that sought to establish our sovereignty as a nation (Salinas, the Monterey County Seat, celebrates Mexican holidays but not AMERICA’S Independence Day). This is just one more way Democrats are working to make MY American citizenship absolutely worthless and, incidentally help the lying, draft-dodging sexual predator get re-elected!
…and to hell with the lawful citizens!!!
This traitor should be tried for treason. This isn’t exaggeration. He’s literally advocating for foreign control of a sovereign state. Oh, and this traitor also changed the law on the spreading HIV/AIDS in California from being a felony to a misdemeanor. Oh…..and he’s a peodfile trying to decriminalize that as well. Capital punishment is the only solution for these people. Wake up.
While the Democrats yell about foreign involvement in our elections, they actively try to let foreigners join the party and have a platform for activism. Do you think dreamers will have an american first attitude?
No. Since many of them have lived in America for years, why haven’t they applied for citizenship?
How much more ridiculous can the State become ?!?!?! I’m sick and tired of paying for everything any ILLEGAL wants. No one paid for my college education, no one is paying my health care, no one is paying for my cell phone and the list goes on. ENOUGH ALREADY — take care of the REAL citizens and Veterans !!
Thanks for thinking of us veterans. Every time a Democratic politician sends me a request for a campaign contribution, I write the same thing on it and send it back to wit: “You don’t give a damn about me – I was born in this country!”. I also change my address from “CA” to “Mexifornia”. Obviously, the quislings care more about the emerging Hispanic majority than they do about those of us who do not divide our loyalty between some other country and the U.S., but it makes me feel just slightly less hopeless. Incidentally, the over four billion dollars Congress just voted for to help “migrants” who are coming here for us to support them is actually to buy future votes for Democrats with our tax dollars.
Diane,
Thank you, for your service. You, and every other veteran who voluntarily signed up to defend and protect both the citizens as well as, the Constitution of the United States of America, deserve better.
If I were not living and witnessing the eminent destruction of this once great country, I could never imagine what is happening. Our country, betrayed by so many of Her own citizens.
My heart breaks.
I’m sorry, but would you care t elaborate what service you are thanking the ex mercenary for?…..Last I checked no one has attacked the USA for ever, but the USA has non stop attacked nation after a nation on our planet…oh and the Mercenaries called the US military are protecting the world biggest heroin plantations in Afghanistan (poisoniing Americans with heroin)….So again what service are you thanking fo him for?
I’m sorry, but would you care t elaborate what service you are thanking the ex mercenary for?…..Last I checked no one has attacked the USA for ever, but the USA has non stop attacked nation after a nation on our planet…oh and the Mercenaries called the US military are protecting the world biggest heroin plantations in Afghanistan (poisoniing Americans with heroin)….So again what service are you thanking fo him for?
Unbelievable! What part about illegal immigrant dose the Democratic party not understand? Laws were meant to obey. DACA should have never happened and Trump’s efforts should have killed it!! California has become over populated, wonder why? What about our natural resources? Land sprawl, WATER?
Now the Governor wants my tax dollars to give health care to all illegal immigrants, ABSURD! Nancy approved wall funding years ago, more in fact then the little Trump wants now. Fess up Nancy & Chuck!!! Demarcates are trying to lead this country in the wrong direction. I have no party favorites, I only vote for what I see best for the country and that will not be the Democratic party!
Jerry,
you are absolutely right about overpopulation and the resulting harm to our environment which is degrading our quality of life. Democratic hypocrisy is largely responsible. They claim to care about the environment and women’s rights but the poor, uneducated foreigners/democratic voters with whom they have been flooding the country since 1965 are primarily from patriarchal societies which teach their boys to measure their manhood by the number of children they sire , treat their women AND girls like baby factories, and practice religions that forbid birth control. Democratic immigration policies have brought us female genital mutilation and even some “honor” killings. I wouldn’t be surprised if some suspicious fires were really bride burnings. They also pretend to care about animals but many of their immigrants come from countries where acts of animal cruelty like bull fighting, horse tripping, cock fighting, horse goring, etc., are considered “sport”. Thanks to the “Dems”, we now not only have animal sacrifice but recently animals have been found in Monterey County who were tortured and mutilated before being killed. The “expletives deleted” believe the more the animal suffers, the greater the blessing on them. And, of course, there’s the loss of wildlife habitat caused by too many people.. Lastly, look at all the poor Chichuahuas in our shelters. Since the Democrats have made it unnecessary for so many foreigners, especially Hispanics, to assimilate, a part of American life in which many do not participate is responsible pet ownership like getting their dogs and cats spayed or neutered. And then there’s that whole anti-birth control thing.
they will probably do a better job than the current democrats – who have turned the once golden state into a ****hole
Every Rep senator voted “YES” on the latest #DemParty bill to aid, abet, favor and encourage #IllegalAliens, [except Dahle who was not listed].
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/…/billVotesClient…
h/t Kathy Ponce
Even Mike Morrell voted for this bill. “Say it’s not so Mike. Say it’s not so.”
This is just the next step in granting #IllegalAliens all rights and entitlements of American citizens.
We know the #DemParty favors #IllegalImmigration, and apparently so do all of the remaining CA Rep Senators, at least when they are not having lunch in the corner booth at Denny’s.
[The primary reason all of the remaining CA Rep Senators can have lunch in the corner booth at Denny’s is mass #Immigration, but the #RepParty is incapable of doing the existential math of mass #Immigration. If this was not my country too, I would be happy to let the #RepParty live and die with the consequences of their stupidity, weakness or both.]
This is getting back to a moment that Lincoln had when the Southern States seceded. In all reality that is what CA has done. These radicalized Dems are trying to give our Sovereign country to a foreign entity, & that should be treason. Sending Federal troops & weapons of war to arrest all Dems involved in this might have to be done to make it clear that we fought a bloody war once to clear up this insanity & it may take another one to remind radicals of how far we will go to be free.
CA should secede & all Fed funding cut off if they want to be part of Mexico.
“ALIENS” entering illegally are not “IMMIGRANTS”!
They are not Immigrants – they are “illegal aliens”, “fugitive aliens”, anything but “Immigrants” – Immigrant implies a granted permanent status, while, it may appear they are obtaining a permanent status, due to the lack of enforcement of the existing laws, they have not been legally granted any permanent status.
Words matter. Using the descriptive term of “Immigrants”, is a euphemistic softening of the reality that these people have broken our laws, and the Immigrant description is inaccurate. It is a descriptive term for these individuals that is constantly used by the Leftists to portray these people as something other than the law breakers that they are.
We need to stop referring to the people breaking our laws on entering our country illegally as “Immigrants”! The moment they step into our country, without permission, they have broken our laws and have committed an illegal act.
The word Immigrant, it means, “a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country”. It is certain that just because one foot is placed on our soil, it does not grant any “permanent” status.
The term used should always be “Illegal Alien”! If you look up the word Alien it has a clear meaning, “relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government, FOREIGN”
We need to stop trying to demonstrate our compassion and understanding, in every case, just to prove we are good people, regardless of the context, regardless of the Leftists false claims of compassion.
This may seem harsh, it is not; it is a reality that needs to be dealt with. The reason that it seems harsh is because of the misguided wholesale selling of compassion by factions that have taken advantage of us, the American Citizens for decades. Get over it; we are being eaten and compassioned to death.
HR 01-20-2019 updated 06-27-2019
Howard,
your point about illegal aliens owing allegiance to foreign countries is perhaps THE most important one with this whole issue. However, it’s not just the illegals. By making it largely unnecessary for foreigners, especially Hispanics, to assimilate like translating everything, including BALLOTS into foreign languages, we have created a country where declaring one’s divided loyalty by hyphenating citizenship, flying a foreign flag, etc., is completely acceptable, especially here in Mexifornia. So, we have Palestinian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Somali-Americans, etc., and these people are getting members of their “communities” elected to political offices, including the U.S. Congress, expecting them to represent their interests AND the interests of the countries they came from. What the “Dems” call cultural diversity” is the quintessential example of Lincoln’ s warning about a “house divided”. And this doesn’t even address the issue of the communities which have been overrun with so many “immigrants” that their social service, health care, legal, and educational systems along with their budgets, tax bases, and uniquely AMERICAN identities have been destroyed. How sad that we look forward to our next national election with dread knowing that power-hungry, greedy, self-serving politicians may be changing our name to either “The United States of Trump” or “Los Estados Unidos”.
How dare this state take for granted my time in service & now a veteran; my enslaved ancestors who built this country on the backs of their free, unpaid, labor; & make my US citizenship to become worthless all in order to give illegals & legals UNEARNED BENEFITS. The state of CA needs to sink to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for all of its corruption & wickedness.
DLB,
from a retired service member to a fellow veteran, thank you for YOUR service. And, thank you for reminding us about the contributions your ancestors made to building this country, especially in our nation’s capital. Compared to them, most of the rest of us are “Johnny-come-latelys”.
Incidentally, did you know that the DMV will “honor” us by printing “Veteran” on our drivers’ licenses but only if WE pay $5.00 fees? The quislings in Sacramento can find lots of our tax dollars to support and protect illegals, including free health care but not a measly $5.00 for each of us who served our country.
I farted in the state capitol and was charged a carbon tax. I never saw democrats so animated sniffing up a storm trying to determine the potency. So I could assess my fair share of o their “common sense calamity laws.”
This is the best California can do.
It’s all part of gods plan.
Leaving california in 1997 was the best move I ever made.
This guy really is a WEINER! God where us Jerry Brown?,? We need a conservative!!!
Commiefornia throwing its citizens under the bus, go figure.
Collusion with Mexico. But hey, one California belongs to Mexico the democrats will blame Trump for not stopping it lol
No, they should not be able to run for any office!! This is a democratic trick! Anybody running for office should be a citizen.
Democrats do such outrageous stuff nowadays that you really need to be wary you’re not reading fake news!
I believe there is now enough evidence for AG Barr to send a contingent of US Marines to forcibly remove those state governments that REFUSE to obey Federal Law and abide by the Constitution!
If they’re worried about bad optics what do you think the current optics look like? I understand if you need to wait till after the election to move. I would definitely campaign on this even though you don’t need it to easily win re-election!