Immigration bills draw criticism

A dozen Assembly Republicans on Tuesday announced a package of bills to crack down on illegal immigration, drawing criticism from Democratic lawmakers who called it a divisive political stunt.

One bill would withhold state money from cities that do not enforce immigration laws and divert it to grants for local police training on immigration enforcement. Another would seek more money from Washington for the costs of what legislators say is the federal government’s inability to secure California’s borders. Others would request that the federal government reimburse the state for prison costs associated with unsecured borders, enhance criminal penalties and give the governor the power to declare a state of emergency on the state’s borders.