One of the few victories making November 8 marginally less painful was California’s election of State Atty. Gen, Democrat Kamala Harris, to the U.S. Senate. Harris has already made history with this win. She is the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate, and the first Black senator of any gender from California.
Harris will be a much-needed beacon of hope in the times ahead. If you need proof, just look at her progressive agenda (she’s leading the fight to end private, for-profit prisons) and her enthusiastic endorsement from President Obama. And her actions since Election Day have only reinforced her status as a champion of progressive interests.
Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump
President-elect Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. This would have a disproportionately large impact on California. After all, the state is home to 1o million immigrants, at least 26 percent of whom are undocumented.
But Senator-elect Harris is defiantly speaking out against Trump’s inhumane agenda.
CA has the largest number of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, in the US — and I will fight for them. We are stronger together.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 11, 2016
Without saying so explicitly, she targeted Trump and the hateful rhetoric he has inspired.
We must reject racism and xenophobia in our politics as we work to protect our immigrant communities through real reforms.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 11, 2016
Harris also spoke at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) two days after the election. This marked her first public appearance as senator-elect. Noting that she too is a daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris said that California has an “outsized stake” in discussions and decisions about immigration.
She said:
“This issue of how we are treating our immigrants, and in particular our undocumented immigrants, is one of the most critical issues facing our country … We are not going to be achieving who we say we are as a country if we attack our community members, our neighbors, our friends and our colleagues.”
Undocumented Children
Unfortunately, Trump’s plan largely targets undocumented children. Thanks to President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), undocumented minors have had temporary protection from deportation.
Because of this, they could live and attend school in the U.S. without fear.
DACA required participants (Dreamers, in the program’s parlance) to provide the Department of Homeland Security with their home address, fingerprints, and proof that they had been in the country unlawfully for at least five years. And the cruel twist of fate is that Trump will now have that information at his disposal.
Members of Trump’s immigration policy transition team have implied that he will end DACA. And he might even go so far as to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to raid workplaces and schools. With a database of addresses and expired visas, this task will be far easier.
The Los Angeles Times reports that:
“…[N]early a third of the 742,000 so-called Dreamers live in California and are potentially at risk of losing legal status.”
And Harris is vehemently opposed to allowing this. In her CHIRLA speech, she encouraged “comprehensive immigration reform.” She said it was imperative to fight for:
“…The children who were designed by DACA to have protection.”
She ended the speech on an emotional note, capturing the situation’s urgency.
“This is real. We have so many children right now that are in pain, and they literally don’t know [if they will have to leave]. Parents are looking at their own children and saying, ‘I don’t know.’We need to answer that question for them sooner rather than later.”
Watch this new clip for more info on Senator-elect Harris’ historic win:
Featured Image By Julia Wick Via LAist.
