Local & Community
California Governor to Visit El Salvador to Talk Immigration
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he will travel to El Salvador in April to discuss the poverty and violence that’s causing waves of migrants to seek asylum in the United States.
It will be Newsom’s first international trip as governor and his latest effort to position California — not the White House — as the leader on the nation’s toughest issues.
The announcement came days after U.S. and Central American leaders signed a new border security compact, Still, President Trump said Thursday that foreign leaders were “doing nothing” to stop the flow of migrants.
Newsom, a Democrat, has sparred with Trump on immigration more than any other issue. In his first two months as governor, he withdrew most California National Guard troops from the border and filed a lawsuit over Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to fund a border wall.
Newsom has pledged $25 million to aid asylum seekers and wants to expand access to health care for young people living in California illegally.
“This is our answer to the White House: No more division, no more xenophobia and no more nativism,” Newsom declared last month in his State of the State address.
He met Thursday with Central American community leaders in Los Angeles in preparation for the trip.
California is home to the nation’s busiest border crossing at San Ysidro in San Diego and has more than 400,000 El Salvadoran immigrants — more than any other Central American nation, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
The governor will travel there from April 7 to 10.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen traveled to Honduras this week to meet with leaders from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador and offered U.S. support for combating drug and gang violence. The gang MS-13 is active in El Salvador.
The administration also approved $5.8 billion in aid for Central America in December.
Trump on Thursday blunted that message with a darker assessment of the U.S.-Central American partnership.
“Mexico is doing NOTHING to help stop the flow of illegal immigrants to our Country,” he tweeted. “They are all talk and no action. Likewise, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have taken our money for years, and do Nothing.”
California governors have engaged in international diplomacy before. Former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown traveled to China and Russia and served as a special envoy to the United Nations on climate change. Newsom’s trip to El Salvador will expand his national profile and likely fuel speculation about his ambitions for higher political office.
Brown broke with the Trump administration’s immigration policies, particularly by signing a bill limiting local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
Newsom has been more aggressive. He reversed Brown’s decision to deploy several hundred California National Guard troops to the border, removing most of them in February to focus on other issues such as preparing for the upcoming wildfire season.
He kept roughly 100 on the border to aid in combating international drug crime and said he’d be willing to work with the Trump administration on that front.
By: NBC Palm Springs
March 29, 2019
Latest Instagram Posts
The Salton Sea is at a crossroads. From a massive restoration project bringing habitat back to the shoreline, to a potential lithium boom, and the new Salton Sea Conservancy, its future is being shaped right now. We’re taking you behind the scenes to explore what comes next for the Salton Sea. In our newest 30-minute report, go behind-the-scenes with the state’s conservation team, learn about updated timlines from lithium executives, and hear how former political leaders paved the way. Restoring the Salton Sea: Progress, Promise and Pressure. Streaming this Sunday on NBC Palm Springs. #saltonsea #lithiumvalley #saltonseaconservancy #marybono
A few PSUSD students will get a unique opportunity to learn more about careers in Aviation at the Palm Springs Air Museum with the districts launch of their Aviation and Aeronautics Career Exploration Program. Be sure to stay tuned with NBC Palm Springs to learn all about this. #palmspringsairmuseum #palmsprings #aviationeducation #psusd #backtoschool
Escape to the mountains without spending a fortune. Looking for a unique getaway? Hicksville Pines Bud & Breakfast in Idyllwild offers themed rooms, retro arcade games, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, nightly camp movies and plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the mountain air. And there’s a special deal for NBC Palm Springs viewers: 15% off your stay 20% off additional nights when available Use code NBCPalmSprings at checkout The adults-only property also offers a relaxed 420-friendly atmosphere and complimentary breakfast, including a memorable cannabis-leaf-shaped waffle. Would you stay here for a mountain getaway? #NBCPalmSprings #Idyllwild #HicksvillePines #MountainGetaway #CaliforniaGetaway WeekendGetaway CoachellaValley TravelCalifornia
☕️ Social Time with Thalia & Jerry. What’s your go-to breakfast?
A new Sand Cat kitten is receiving its first in-hospital wellness exam. Our Maria Noble Valdez was able to go into the hospital and get a unique behind-the-scenes look at why this is so important. Be sure to tune in at 5 and 6 pm tonight or visit nbcpalmsprings.com to learn more. #thelivingdesert #wildlifeconservation #sandcat #coachellavalley #palmdesert
Social Time with Thalia and Jerry. Does Sept. 1st make you think of fall, or not quite yet?
A judge has officially dropped a second degree murder charge against former Silvercrest CEO William Frank Rodriguez due to insufficient evidence. Rodriguez now faces a felony hit and run charge and driving under a suspended license. Rodriguez is accused of killing 60-year old Cathedral City resident Christina Barrington in a hit and run crash back in October of 2024. Tune in to our evening newscasts as our @newsbyalondra shares details on the preliminary hearing in this case.
It’s been one month since a car crashed into the Burger Box restaurant in Indio. Owner Anthony Ruiz says a lot has been happening behind the scenes since then. With some new, big developments over the past week, Ruiz spoke with NBC Palm Springs’s @maria_nvtv to discuss rebuilding, new details about the investigation taking place, and how the owners are feeling now. Watch the full on update on NBC Palm Springs at 5 & 6, and visit nbcpalmsprings.com to hear where things stand, what’s next, and how the Burger Box family is reflecting on this incident as they navigate their new reality. #BurgerBox #update #indio #localbusiness #rebuilding
Social time with Thalia and Jerry and Hayden
Who makes the NBC Top 3, winner will be announced Sunday night on NBC Palm Springs, with the player who makes the number one spot winning a $250 prize from @hondaofthedesert! Comment below if it will be 1) Damian Durinzi’s Catch in Traffic, 2) Jaylen Turner Finding the End Zone with Pressure, 3) Aiden Pope’s 95 Yard Punt Return, 4) Colton LaCrone’s 40 Yard Rushing TD, or 5) Adam Tremper’s 30 Yard Rushing TD #fypage #fridaynightlights #top3 #hondaofthedesert