harris backed illegal alien lawyer

That Vice President Kamala Harris is a far-left extremist, notably on immigration, is hardly news. But just how far left might be, and the Sacramento Bee offered an idea yesterday.

Harris was behind the effort to push the legal authorities in California to permit an illegal alien to practice law. Indeed, the Bee’s sources say that Harris might have been the deciding factor in Mexican Sergio Garcia’s effort to become a practicing lawyer.

The story comports with Harris’ well-known position on immigration. She’s an open-borders fanatic, and does not believe illegally crossing the border is a crime.

The Lawyer

From a particularly cloying story for which the Bee’s scribes couldn’t find a dissenting voice in the Golden State’s legal establishment, we learn that “for most of his life, Sergio Covarrubias Garcia tried his best to avoid interactions with law enforcement. As a 17-year-old, Garcia prayed police wouldn’t stop the Chevy truck used to smuggle him and other undocumented men across the border. His nerves only continued. Garcia longed for officers to look away each time he drove to work or school.”

His dream, the Bee explained, was to become a lawyer, yet he was an expert at breaking the law. That aside, Harris, then the state’s attorney general, learned that Garcia “was enduring a yearslong and publicized struggle to become the first licensed undocumented attorney in the nation,” the Bee continued:

To Garcia’s surprise, Harris came out in support. She went on to submit a written brief backing his legal case and even provided a lawyer from her office to argue for him in front of the state Supreme Court. 

“To know that the ‘top cop’ in California did not hate me for being undocumented, and was supporting me and wanting me to achieve my dream,” Garcia, 47, said. “That was huge.”

Vice president Harris’ endorsement “made the difference” in the case and eventually led to a unanimous California Supreme Court decision in Garcia’s favor, according to Kevin Johnson, dean of UC Davis’ law school and one of the attorneys who represented the State Bar of California for Garcia. 

Such was Harris’ influence that Garcia became a lawyer despite opposition from the Obama administration.

Obama’s Justice Department rightly argued that the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 precluded Garcia from practicing law because a law license is a “public benefit.”

Indeed, Obama’s DOJ argued, the law was “plainly designed to preclude undocumented aliens from receiving commercial and professional licenses issued by states and the federal government.” 

Of course, Harris disagreed. “It is not a crime either to be present or to work in the United States without immigration status, and Garcia has never been charged with the crime of unlawful entry,” she said. She even provided Garcia free legal assistance to argue his case before the state Supreme Court. 

The Bee also explained what a great gal Harris is:

Nearly two years after Harris voiced her support for Garcia, she invited him to her office. 

Garcia, now a regarded lawyer living in Chico, California, recalled his nervousness on that February 2014 day. Even then, he still had reservations about law enforcement. 

“It’s a little unnerving when the ‘top cop’ calls you to their office,” Garcia said. The two talked for more than an hour, despite one of Harris’ staff members telling Garcia that he was only granted 30 minutes and “not to waste her time.” Garcia said Harris later playfully scolded him for repeatedly looking at his watch during the conversation. She reminded me “who the boss was,” he added. 

Harris ended the conversation by providing him with a medal of valor. …

Today, Garcia is fully backing Harris on her campaign to become the first female president of the United States. Still, he doesn’t hide his disappointment with her and President Joe Biden over what he calls a lack of effort for the Latino community and immigration reform during the last few years. 

Illegal Aliens Aren’t Criminals

Harris’ going to bat for a law-breaking illegal alien comports with a statement that she has repeatedly made in one form or another for years, as The New American reported last week.

“It is wrong to somehow suggest that an undocumented immigrant is a criminal,” she believes. 

“Being an undocumented immigrant is not a crime,” she has said. “I know what a crime looks like,” she said as well, “an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” 

Problem is, federal law — 8 U.S. Code Section 1325 — says otherwise:

Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

As well, federal immigration law requires the detention and deportation of illegal aliens.

As deportation goes, Harris isn’t planning any. Instead, she’s planning amnesty for the aliens who entered the United States illegally at the invitation of the Biden administration.

So said Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren recently to CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Warren said cities and states need more resources to deal with Biden’s migrant invaders.

As well, she said, “I believe we need to create a pathway to citizenship. All of that is part of what we need to do for comprehensive immigration reform. Kamala Harris will work with Congress and get that done.”

“Comprehensive immigration reform” is leftist code for open borders.

H/T: Breitbart