TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft a resolution with the language below in support of comprehensive immigration reform:
WHEREAS, the current immigration system in the United States is broken and not meeting the needs of a 21st century economy. The current system breaks apart families, is not conducive to family reunification and ignores the economic contribution of the immigrant worker; and
WHEREAS, since 2008 more than 2 million immigrants have been deported and one in ten children face the deportation of a parent; and
WHEREAS, it is not practical or humane to deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living within our borders; and
WHEREAS, California has the largest population of immigrants, both documented and undocumented where one in ten workers is an undocumented immigrant, and immigrants are a vibrant, productive, and vital part of the state's growing economy, holding jobs in key industries such as agriculture, science, technology, service, health care and manufacturing; and
WHEREAS, the City of Long Beach recognizes that immigration reform must protect the rights of all families to stay together, regardless of immigration status, family structure, sexual orientation, gender identity, and to include same-sex couples, and provide sufficient family-based channels for migration in the future; and
WHEREAS, Los Angeles County is home to nearly 900,000 undocumented immigrants, the highest number of undocumented individuals in California; and
WHEREAS, the City of Long Beach is the second most diverse city in the United States with immigrants and refugees from many parts of the world who work, own homes, operate businesses and contribute to the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the City; and
WHEREAS, a pathway to citizenship should not be conditioned upon shortsighted border enforcement strategies and the criminalization of immigrants; and
WHEREAS, the President of the United States took Executive Action to provide the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), it is estimated that more than 1.1 million of Californians are eligible for one form of executive action; and
WHEREAS, The Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County has passed a motion supporting the Executive Action issued by the President of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Estimates by UCLA's North American Integration and Development Center indicate that L.A. County will see an additional $1.1 billion in tax revenues and the creation of an additional 38,500 jobs from the Executive Action initiatives; and
WHEREAS, the consequence of unbalanced immigration enforcement have caused fear and trauma in immigrant and refugee communities and have increased civil and human rights violations, family separation and immigrant deaths; and
WHEREAS, the City of Long Beach and local law enforcement must seek to restore trust between immigrant and refugee communities by reducing racial profiling and increasing transparency and accountability of the involvement of federal immigration authorities in local law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the Long Beach City Council acknowledges that civil and human rights are deeply rooted in the fabric of democratically principled societies, and must be instilled in all elements of our enforcement apparatus to ensure every individual's dignity and humanity is upheld, recognized and respected; and
WHEREAS, the City of Long Beach passed a resolution in 2010 in support of the federal DREAM Act (and as part of the 2015 Federal Legislative Platform), and strongly believes immigrants strengthen the community economically and culturally, and that it welcomes their contributions to society.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Long Beach City Council does hereby support the administration's deferred action programs known as the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), and will work towards its implementation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Long Beach City Council urges Congress and the President to reaffirm that addressing comprehensive immigration reform is an urgent federal responsibility, and must occur in a timely manner that is guided by our nation's values of due process and civil and human rights.
DISCUSSION
At the Federal Legislative Committee meeting on January 6, 2015, the Committee voted to adopt staffs recommended changes for the 2015 Federal Legislative Agenda and provided additional changes that are being forwarded to the City Council for consideration and adoption. The Committee's changes are described below:
City Council Directive: Immigration Reform add language to read, "Support comprehensive immigration reform that will provide a dignified path to United States citizenship, strengthen the nation's workforce and the economy."
This current resolution seeks to strengthen the City Council Directive with specifics noted below.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
LENA GONZALEZ, COUNILWOMAN
FIRST DISTRICT
VICE MAYOR SUJA LOWENTHAL, COUNCILMEMBER
SECOND DISTRICT
ROBERTO URANGA, COUNCILMEMBER
SEVENTH DISTRICT
REX RICHARDSON, COUNCILMEMBER
NINTH DISTRICT