SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s Senate leader says an attorney and immigrant rights activist is the first person living in the country illegally to be named to a statewide appointment in the nation’s most populous state.

A Senate committee appointed Lizbeth Mateo as an adviser on college access and financial aid Wednesday.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon framed the decision as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

De Leon announced Mateo’s appointment the day after Trump visited California to view prototypes of his proposed border wall and a week after the U.S. Justice Department sued the state over policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Mateo will advise the California Student Aid Commission to help low-income and marginalized people attend college. She was born in Mexico and moved to California with her parents at age 14.

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