California has appointed an illegal alien to state office–doubling-down on their defiance of federal immigration laws.
Lizbeth Mateo was appointed by California Senate President pro Tempore, Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) to the California Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Grant Advisory Committee.
Mateo was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. illegally at the age of 14. Her parents, who still live in the United States, are also illegal immigrants.
According to de Leon, Mateo will help students in “low-income or underserved communities” receive information about how to get admission to college.
After her appointment, Mateo praised de Leon for putting an illegal immigrant like herself in a leadership position.
“While undocumented students have become more visible in our state, they remain underrepresented in places where decisions that affect them are being made,” she said.
In a news release, de Leon echoed Mateo’s statement, highlighting the “great personal risk” that Mateo took by taking public office as an illegal immigrant.
De Leon, who is running for U.S. Senate in California in 2018, also took a swing at President Donald Trump’s immigration platform: “While Donald Trump fixates on walls, California will continue to concentrate on opportunities,” he said.
