SACRAMENTO, Calif. (TND) — The California State Assembly is considering legislation allowing undocumented migrants convicted of “violent” or “serious” felonies to receive immigration-related legal services.

The “Representation, Equity, and Protections (REP) for All Immigrants Act” would eliminate restrictions on existing laws prohibiting grant funds’ use for assisting those convicted of such felonies. The grants are provided to nonprofits which assist migrants with certain immigration-related legal services.

“For as long as I have been in state office, I have worked towards ensuring people are given a second chance and have championed efforts to prevent people from being treated as second-class individuals,” Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-South Los Angeles, the legislation’s sponsor, said last month. “The REP for All Immigrants Act ensures racial justice and truly equitable access to crucial immigration services for all – not some.”

Migrants having an interpersonal connection in California or looking to live there are able to receive legal services for defending against their removal from the U.S. under the bill. Any information identifying the migrant throughout the legal process would be exempt from disclosure on public records.

The legislation currently sits in the Assembly’s Committee on the Judiciary. It has received criticism from some Republicans, including Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Temecula, who blasted the bill as “completely unacceptable” Sunday.

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Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer is not the only California lawmaker to speak out in support of migrants recently. Last month, Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., cautioned against reshaping current immigration policies solely based off a migrant’s suspected murder of a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student. Laken Riley died from blunt force trauma while jogging at the University of Georgia last month, and police arrested Jose Antonia Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally, in connection with her death.

“The important thing to focus on is any one instance shouldn’t shape our overall immigration policy, which has so many different facets, including economic choices about what workers to allow in and how to create prosperity in America,” Rep. Porter argued.

GOP lawmakers nationwide have connected rising crime rates to the ongoing migrant influx in the U.S. amid efforts to secure the southern border. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., demanded the Biden administration address border security during the Republican response to the State of the Union last week.

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“Enough is enough. Innocent Americans are dying and you only have yourself to blame,” Sen. Britt said. “Fulfill your oath of office, reverse your policies, end this crisis and stop the suffering.”

Nearly 30% of Americans labeled immigration as the U.S.’ most important problem in a February Gallop survey, while 55% viewed an unlawful migrant influx as a critical threat to the country’s vital interests. The share was the largest since 2004, when 50% of Americans viewed it as a high-priority issue.

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