SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s Senate leader says an attorney and immigrant rights activist is the first person living in the country illegally to be named to a statewide appointment in the nation’s most populous state.
A Senate committee appointed Lizbeth Mateo as an adviser on college access and financial aid Wednesday.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon framed the decision as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
De Leon announced Mateo’s appointment the day after Trump visited California to view prototypes of his proposed border wall and a week after the U.S. Justice Department sued the state over policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.