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The California Senate Rules Committee appointed an undocumented immigrant/lawyer to a statewide position on Wednesday.

Attorney and immigrant activist Lizbeth Mateo of Los Angeles will serve as a student aid advisor. She will be working under the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) Advisory Committee.

In a statement, California Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, "While Donald Trump fixates on walls, California will continue to concentrate on opportunities."  The President recently went to San Diego and inspected eight prototype walls for the southern border. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued the state over its sanctuary policies.

A courageous, intelligent young woman

Sen. de León described Atty. Mateo as a “courageous, determined and intelligent young woman who at great personal risk has dedicated herself to fight for those seeking their rightful place in this country.”  Sen. de León is the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.

On the other hand, Atty. Mateo expressed gratitude to Sen. de León for the appointment in a post on Twitter. She tweeted, “Thank you Sen. @kdeleon for appointing me to the CalSOAP Advisory Committee. I look forward to working w/ the rest of the committee & the Student Aid Commission in such important task - increase the accessibility of post secondary education opportunities for low-income students.”

Thank you Sen. @kdeleon for appointing me to the CalSOAP Advisory Committee. I look forward to working w/ the rest of the committee & the Student Aid Commission in such important task - increase the accessibility of postsecondary education opportunities for low-income students.

— Lizbeth Mateo, Esq. (@LizbethMateo) March 15, 2018

In a separate statement, Atty. Mateo said undocumented students are becoming more visible in California. However, she noted that they are “still under-represented in place where decisions affect them.

Atty. Mateo received her law degree from Santa Clara University in 2016 and passed the California bar last year.  She was born in Mexico. She came to the United States with her parent when she was 14.