Columbus, Immigration and Nation Building

Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas on October 12th, 1492, 525 years ago. Columbus’ feat is celebrated throughout most of the Americas as either el Dia de la Raza, the day of the Race, or as Columbus Day. As noted on Wikipedia in the United States, “San Francisco claims the nation's oldest continuously existing celebration with the Italian-American community's annual Columbus Day Parade.”

Not surprisingly there has always been opposition to the celebrations. Some early groups wanted to stop the celebrations because Columbus’ arrival also brought slavery, exploitation and devastating diseases to the Americas; others because of its association with immigrants. California however likes immigrants. Just last week, on October 5th, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 54, also known as the California Values Act. The law prohibits state and local agencies from enforcing immigration laws or from working with immigration enforcement agencies.

The legislation reads in part:

“In no event shall state or local law enforcement agencies or school police or security departments transfer an individual to federal immigration authorities for purposes of immigration enforcement or detain an individual at the request of federal immigration authorities for purposes of immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant....
The attorney general … shall publish model policies limiting immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible consistent with federal and state law at public schools, health facilities operated by the state or a political subdivision of the state, courthouses, and shelters, to ensure that they remain safe and accessible to all California residents, regardless of immigration status.”

At the federal level, Trump chose this particular week-end to announce that for the 800,000 young adults (although they came as children they are now young adults) in the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to be allowed to stay he will insist on the construction of a border wall, the hiring of thousands of immigration agents, tougher laws for those seeking asylum and denial of federal grants to “sanctuary cities”. Makes you wonder: what about sanctuary states?

Processing of federal DACA applications has been halted. The next question could be what really happens next March. Do existing permits end then? Or are DACA permits valid through their existing term? Regardless of federal processes, what about state level actions? Although immigration is technically a federal issue, having signed SB 54 into law, California is now effectively getting into the immigration regulation and control business. Or is this the real beginning of Calexit the movement to secede.

Throughout the years there have been secessionist movements in the state, Supporters of a plan for California #Calexit to secede took their first formal step last November, submitting a proposed ballot measure to the state attorney general’s office in the hopes of a statewide vote as soon as 2018. After the results of Brexit and the recent vote in Catalonia, there may be even more nation building and upheaval ahead.