California Delays Hearing Bill Offering Legal Aid to Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Serious Crimes

A man travelling with a caravan of Central American migrants—mostly from Honduras—in hopes of reaching the United States, walks near a barricade set by the U.S. Border Patrol along the Tijuana River, close to the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, on Nov. 25, 2018. Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

A controversial new bill proposed in California that would use taxpayer dollars to assist illegal immigrants convicted of serious and violent crimes has been removed from a hearing that had been initially scheduled for March 12.

The Representation, Equity, and Protections (REP) for All Immigrants Act—introduced earlier this month by Democrat Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer—has faced growing criticism for its call to remove the current prohibition preventing the use of taxpayer funds for legal services to any individual, including illegal immigrants, accused or convicted of a serious or violent felony.