Vice President Kamala Harris, currently vying for the Democrat nomination for president, was once a prominent supporter of enabling undocumented immigrants to become certified attorneys in the sanctuary state of California. In 2014, the California Supreme Court made a unanimous decision to allow Mexican national Sergio Garcia to join the State Bar and subsequently obtain a license to practice law in the state.
At the time, Harris served as the attorney general of California and acted as the primary advocate for allowing Garcia’s entry into the profession, effectively paving the way for numerous other undocumented aliens within the state to become licensed attorneys. The Sacramento Bee reported that despite his legal battle, Garcia managed to garner the support of then-Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2012. As a result, she submitted a written brief advocating for his case and even provided a lawyer from her office to argue on behalf of Garcia in front of the state Supreme Court.
According to Kevin Johnson, dean of UC Davis’ law school and one of the attorneys who represented the State Bar of California in Garcia’s case, Harris’ endorsement “made the difference” in this historic decision, ultimately leading to a unanimous ruling in favor of Garcia by the California Supreme Court.
For many years, Harris has been an active proponent of legislation designed to protect undocumented immigrants from federal immigration enforcement. As attorney general, she even went so far as to send threatening letters to various law enforcement agencies within the state, warning them of potential legal action should they cooperate with federal immigration officials.