Prosecutors, States, Cities, Counties, Congressional Representatives, Advocacy Groups and More Back Attorney General Becerra’s Fight to Protect California’s Public Safety Funding

Eight amicus briefs submitted in support of California’s efforts to prevent the imposition of immigration enforcement requirements on public safety grants

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced that a diverse group of current and former prosecutors, California Cities and Counties, Congressional Representatives, State Attorneys General, and advocacy groups filed amicus briefs in California v. Barr. The briefs support Attorney General Becerra’s opposition to the Trump Administration’s attempts to place unlawful and unreasonable immigration enforcement requirements on $29.3 million of federal grants for state and local law enforcement. The Trump Administration is currently attempting to appeal a decision by the district court, which prevented the Administration from imposing those immigration enforcement requirements on public safety grants.

“We have made clear that we’re in the business of public safety, not deportation,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Withholding millions of dollars in critical public safety grants from our local law enforcement agencies poses unacceptable risks to our communities. As long as the Trump Administration continues its unlawful attempts to jeopardize critical law enforcement funding, California will fight back to protect our rightfully secured resources.”

Since August 2017, in what was originally California v. Sessions, now California v. Barr, Attorney General Becerra has challenged the federal government’s unlawful requirements on public safety funds:

2017 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant

• August 14, 2017: Attorney General Becerra first challenged the federal government's imposition of immigration enforcement requirements on California's public safety grants. 
• October 5, 2018: The district court ruled in favor of California, holding that the federal government’s first set of immigration enforcement funding requirements on the 2017 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds were unlawful and unconstitutional. 
• December 4, 2018: The Trump Administration appealed this decision. 

2018 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant

• August 23, 2018: Attorney General Becerra challenged the federal government’s imposition of unlawful immigration enforcement requirements on federal fiscal year 2018 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds. 
• March 4, 2019: The court ruled that the federal government cannot require California and its local jurisdictions to comply with immigration enforcement requirements in order to receive $28.9 million in law enforcement grants.
• May 3, 2019: The Trump Administration appealed this decision.

Amicus briefs in support of California’s opposition were filed by: current and former prosecutors, Cities and Counties, Congressional Representatives, and Attorneys General. The amicus briefs were led by New York, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrant Rights Project and more. A copy of the briefs can be found in the electronic version the electronic version of this release.