California Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown signed a series of bills that will make his state a haven for illegal aliens. The so-called “Trust Act” will ban state law enforcement from transferring detained illegals into federal custody for deportation unless the detainees have committed serious crimes. California law enforcement has long since given up arresting illegals based on their residency status, so the only reason they would be arrested in the first place is because they committed another crime. Just how serious that crime has to be for Governor Moonbeam to allow federal officials to do their job remains unclear.

Other laws Brown signed include allowing illegals to obtain driver’s licenses. Activists say this is a first step toward “equality” for illegal aliens, but it would appear that they’ve already won “equality” since Brown also signed a law that allows illegals to practice law in California. That law grew from a court case in which an illegal Mexican immigrant who came to the U.S. as a baby went on to obtain a law degree in the state. It’s interesting that in all those years specializing in law he never found time to pursue citizenship or even legal status.

Sadly, Brown’s work to make California a sanctuary state for illegals may not have been necessary. The National Border Patrol Council has revealed that agents from San Diego to the Rio Grande were ordered to stand down and not pursue human traffickers, drug runners or other potential security threats. This news comes as a recent Pew Research Center survey found that the recession-induced decline in illegal immigration has ceased and illegals are once again streaming across the border. Pew believes the uptick is related to the increasing availability of low-income jobs, but the perks being given by California surely sweeten the pot.