Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called on California to create a "firewall" to prevent the release of state-level data that the president-elect's administration could potentially use to identify undocumented residents.
Newsom said data that must be protected extends to personal information of students eligible under the Dream Act who are enrolled on CSU, UC and community college campuses, as well as Cal Grant recipients and undocumented persons who applied for and received drivers' licenses under the state's AB 60 legislation.
"So we need to make sure we're guaranteeing that all of that private DACA information — all the waivers at the CSU and UC — that the information is locked and sealed, and in no way, shape or form is made available to the Trump administration," Newsom said.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a renewable, two-year protection from deportation for undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children, according to the University of California. It was enacted in 2012.
Newsom's comments came during a press conference to discuss the necessity of preserving the "sanctuary status" of California's public institutions of higher education. Newsom, in his role as lieutenant governor, serves on the University of California Board of Regents.
The lieutenant governor noted that all student data is governed under federal guidelines, and is protected and private — with exceptions. Newsom said the Trump administration could choose to subpoena California's data, in which case he said the state should come up with a proactive defense beforehand.
"It's a point of real fear that I have, on behalf of these young men and women and their families, that they voluntarily offered [their data]. Again, it's detailed information about their families, detailed information [with] personal information," Newsom said.
It's been widely reported that Trump has vowed to deport 2 million to 3 million illegal immigrants from the U.S. who have committed serious crimes. But Newsom is among those who say those numbers of felons or violent offenders do not exist, which could force Trump's administration to target other undocumented people to fulfill the promise.
