Someone is posting fake California road signs welcoming ‘Felons, Illegals and MS13’

Fake signs on the California border welcome “Felons, Illegals and MS13” into an “Official Sanctuary State.”

The signs take aim at California’s sanctuary state law that kicked in Jan. 1, providing greater protections for immigrants living in the state illegally. It limits cooperation between local law enforcement and U.S. immigration authorities.

The signs also target Democrats, who widely backed the sanctuary measure.

“Democrats Need The Votes!”

State officials removed a sign Tuesday on the Arizona line and another Monday near the Nevada border, Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Dinger said.

The new sanctuary law bars police from asking people about their immigration status, but jail officials can work with federal authorities in some cases.

President Donald Trump’s administration has harshly criticized sanctuary policies and has attempted to cut off federal funding to jurisdictions that adopt them.

Cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia have adopted similar policies. A federal judge has blocked the effort to halt funding.

The signs made waves with Trump supporters on websites such as the Gateway Pundit and on Twitter.

The Gateway Pundit linked to an Instagram post about the signs.

“Any place giving refuge to illegal aliens is an open invitation for the worst of the worst to come from around the world to live free of fear of being deported,” the poster wrote.

The fake signs, made of paper, covered existing signs on Interstate 15 at Mountain Pass, near the California-Nevada border, and along Interstate 40 in Needles, near California’s border with Arizona.

A similar sign popped up in Malibu last year after it adopted sanctuary city policies.

The state’s Transportation Department does not allow any unauthorized signs on state rights of way for safety reasons, Dinger said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Someone is posting fake California road signs welcoming ‘Felons, Illegals and MS13’."