Attorney General Becerra Secures Dismissal of the Federal Government’s Claims Against California in USA v. California

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today issued the following statement after U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez dismissed most of the federal government’s lawsuit seeking to invalidate California’s laws that provide for the safety, health, and welfare of its people.

“Today’s decision is a victory for our State’s ability to safeguard the privacy, safety, and constitutional rights of all our people,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Though the Trump Administration may continue to attack a state like California and its ability to make its own laws, we will continue to protect our constitutional authority to protect our residents and the rule of law.”

Judge John A. Mendez dismissed most of the federal government’s lawsuit seeking to invalidate three of California’s laws: SB 54, California Values Act; AB 103, relating to the review of detention facilities; and AB 450, the Immigrant Worker Protection Act. The Court dismissed the United States’ claims in their entirety with respect to SB 54 and AB 103.

On March 6, 2018, the federal government filed a lawsuit against the State of California, seeking to strike down three laws passed by the State legislature. On May 4, 2018, Attorney General Becerra filed a motion to dismiss the federal government’s lawsuit. In the motion, the Attorney General argued that the three laws are consistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act and do not undermine the federal government’s ability to enforce federal immigration laws. Attorney General Becerra stated that the Trump lawsuit, if successful, would break the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, have detrimental impacts on workplace productivity, and cloak the treatment of people in civil detention facilities in secrecy. On July 5, 2018, Attorney General Becerra secured another key legal victory in this case, when Judge Mendez denied the federal government’s attempt to halt the California’s Values Act (SB 54) and the Detention Review Act (AB 103) through a preliminary injunction.