Jerry Brown: Immigrants, citizen or not, ‘welcome in California’

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Tuesday continued his two-day trip to California, traveling to Sacramento to meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers and deliver a speech to the Legislature.

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FOR THE RECORD

Aug. 26, 11:02 a.m.: An earlier version of this post stated that Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) would be joining a protest outside the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento to criticize the jailing of an ex-U.S. Marine in Mexico. She will not be part of the protest.

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The trip comes less than a month after Brown visited Mexico City on a four-day trade mission. The governor has been prodding California’s southern neighbor to take stronger action against climate change. He’s also been seeking increased economic ties, including tourism and clean energy technology.

On Monday, Brown and Peña attended a meeting with business officials in Los Angeles. During his speech, Peña said he wanted to make life better for Mexicans on both sides of the border.

“This is the other Mexico,” he said of the United States, which has about 11 million Mexican immigrants.

Brown told the crowd at the event that they were welcome in the state regardless of their citizenship.

“You’re all welcome in California today,” he said.

When Peña arrives in Sacramento, he’ll visit the historic Stanford Mansion for a luncheon with California leaders.

The event won’t be without some controversy. Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) is boycotting the event and staging a protest outside to criticize the jailing of an ex-U.S. Marine in Mexico.

The Marine, Andrew Tahmooressi, is facing charges for illegally crossing the border into Mexico with firearms in March.

Donnelly and others want Tahmooressi released; Mexican officials have said the justice system must play out.

Follow @chrismegerian for more updates from Sacramento