The Trump administration is criticizing the State of California over a decision to appoint an illegal alien, Lizbeth Mateo, to a statewide office.

Mateo was appointed last week to the Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Grant Advisory Committee by the State Senate Rules Committee.

A Trump administration official told Breitbart News on Monday: “California continues to break new ground in an effort to thumb their nose at the rule of law.

“Their message to the world is clear: California’s ‘leadership’ is willing to protect anyone — including criminals — in an effort to score political points. Intentionally undermining public safety in this manner is not an equation that bodes well for Californians.”

Mateo was brought to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of 14 by her parents, who are also illegal aliens.

Unlike other so-called “Dreamers,” Mateo is not eligible for the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In 2013, she returned to Mexico and visited family in Oaxaca before attempting to cross the border illegally back into the U.S. as part of a protest. She was arrested and detained at the border before being released after she petitioned for asylum.

State Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) celebrated her appointment by calling Mateo “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.”

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

Mateo is also an attorney and a member of the California State Bar.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named to Forward’s 50 “most influential” Jews in 2017. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

Clarification: the State Senate indicated that Lizbeth Mateo was the first illegal alien appointed to state office, but in fact she is only the first without any legal protected status. “The Senate announced that the appointment was a first for the state, but that wasn’t true,” the Sacramento Bee noted. Gov. Jerry Brown appointed a DACA recipient to a state office in 2016. The opening paragraph has been corrected to reflect that.