Jefferson Beauregard Sessions came to Sacramento today to scold and threaten California for passing legislation to protect immigrants and give them some respite from federal immigration laws.
In his speech, he said California was moving the state toward "open borders" -- an accusation which is not true. He also warned that there was "no nullification," which is ironic in light of all the threats from southern states to secede merely because the country elected a black president in 2008.
Governor Jerry Brown was not at all pleased with Sessions' threats, his lawsuit or his speech.
"This is really unprecedented for the chief law enforcement [officer] of the United States to come out to California and act more like Fox News than a law enforcement officer," Brown said. "This is a political stunt. It's more like Fox News and what's going on in Washington. It's not about the truth or protecting our state. It's about dividing America."
He accused Sessions of being divisive, reminding him, "This is a time to build bridges, not walls, to pull Americans together, not set us apart."
"Like many in the Trump administration, this Attorney General has no regard for the truth," Brown accused. "What he said earlier today is not true. It is a lie. And -- but what can I say? We have seen with the Trump administration, with the investigations going on, lying by countless individuals and colleagues. So there it is."
Brown went on to acknowledge that there were problems with immigration that needed to be solved, but not in the way Sessions suggested.
"This lawsuit is going to go a lot longer than the Trump administration," Brown warned Sessions in his conclusion.
As protests raged in the streets outside the hotel where Sessions spoke, other California Democrats weighed in.
"Jeff Sessions makes a mockery of justice whenever he uses that word," California Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman said in a statement. "He is a throwback to a time when sheriffs turned fire hoses and police dogs on peaceful Civil Rights protesters. He has no business serving as Attorney General and he’s not fit to come to California and lecture us on anything."
I realize that the goal here is to scapegoat California for Congress' failure to address problems Donald Trump and the Republicans created. Trump rescinded DACA, after hundreds of thousands of DREAMers gave their personal information to the government in an exchange of trust: information and background check for the promise they would not be deported as long as they complied. Republicans created the need for DACA by refusing to deal with immigration in a realistic, adult manner, but instead prioritizing the need for a white majority over the needs of human beings not to live in fear.
Sessions needs to pursue his racist, xenophobic policies because it guarantees him his job. But as Governor Brown clearly stated, California is not going to stand for it.
