Opinion | Protect your fellow OC residents

Gracie Fleischman, Opinions Editor

I was born in gorgeous Newport Beach, in a hospital room with an ocean view. I went to school in Aliso Viejo with intelligent teachers and nice friends, and I lived in a safe neighborhood. I believe that all people, no matter their race, religion, sexuality or gender, should have the right to live in such an amazing county.

Although I love Orange County, I’ve never loved the racists and conservatives that it is sometimes known for. Despite my privileged upbringing, I am not proud to have been born and raised here when I know that many cities, including the one I call home, are voting to join a lawsuit against SB 54.

Also known as The California Values Act, SB 54 has made California the first sanctuary state in the nation, meaning it protects undocumented families from immigration services. The Senate Bill was signed in December 2017 by Gov. Jerry Brown and allows local law enforcement in California to limit cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Recently, cities in Orange County, like Huntington Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Buena Park and Aliso Viejo have joined a lawsuit against Brown and the bill. The lawsuit alleges that the bill is unconstitutional. Attorney General Jeff Sessions stands behind the lawsuit and calls the bill “a plain violation of common sense.”

Here’s the thing, though: The people who oppose the sanctuary city bill in Orange County are the same ones who hold up “Make America Great Again” signs. They’re the same ones who want to build a wall and who buy into xenophobic nonsense about immigrants.

Why are the conservative people of Orange County so afraid of undocumented immigrants? Immigrants are people too, and they deserve just as much protection as you. Just because they aren’t official citizens, undocumented folks work just as hard and contribute just as much to California.

Undocumented immigrants contribute $11.74 billion to their state each yearthrough a combination of sales and excise, personal income and property taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

More importantly, undocumented immigrants can face human rights violations due to federal immigration services and ICE, which often denies people due process and violates the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Until the road to legal citizenship is reformed and made more available to potential immigrants, we must protect the rights of those who already live within our borders. Undocumented people have firm roots in their communities and have built new generations of families who are growing and thriving in the U.S. To remove them rudely and violently from their homes is simply wrong.