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Recommendation to: 1) Direct City Attorney to draft a resolution entitled the Long Beach Values Act of 2017, affirming the City's commitment to the laws adopted in SB 54 (De Leon) and the City's continued support of the California Trust Act;
2) Direct City Manager, through the Office of Equity, to partner with local immigrant rights organizations, the Long Beach Sanctuary City Coalition, Centro Cha, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach City College, and Long Beach Unified School District, to write and present a local policy that expands on SB 54 in 60 days. Policy considerations should include:
• Protecting and advocating for local DACA and DREAMER students.
• Preventing future deportations of local residents.
• Examining partnerships with LA County for local legal defense fund.
• Protecting the confidentiality of local immigrant residents and their information, and ensuring no City resources are used to create registries based on religious affiliation, immigration status or any other protected class such as gender, sexual orientation, race, etc.
• Affirm an aggressive approach to advocating at the federal and
state level for pro-immigrant policies.
DISCUSSION
On February 7 of this year, the Long Beach City Council became the first city in California to support SB 54, the California Values Act.
With this month's adoption of SB 54, it is imperative the City of Long Beach re-affirm our support for this legislation. In addition, it is important to adopt a local policy that protects immigrants and expands on the protections in SB 54. As a vibrant, multi-cultural city, Long Beach's identity is linked to the hard work, entrepreneurship, and diversity of our immigrant communities and American-born residents.
Immigrants, and programs that support immigrants such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the LA Justice Fund, and others are important to the City of Long Beach. As directed by Presidential Executive Order in 2012, DACA provided an authorized means for eligible undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country under the age of 16 to apply for two-year work permits and be protected from deportation during that time, and the LA Justice Fund was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on June 20,2017, to provide legal services to Los Angeles County immigrant residents at risk of removal.
These programs provide authorized avenues for undocumented immigrants to access official information about American immigration law.
The City has been on record in support of local law enforcement agencies partnering with federal law enforcement agencies to combat violent crimes, participate on multiagency federal task force operations to combat international and domestic terrorism, as well as partnership efforts to prevent human trafficking.
However, Long Beach also recognizes that enforcing immigration at the local level undermines trust and cooperation within immigrant communities. Immigration enforcement is not a productive or appropriate use of local resources. Long Beach is a safe and welcoming city and we need to ensure that local resources are not being used to separate families and support deportations.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff time and work through Office of Equity.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
[Enter Body Here]
Respectfully Submitted,
LENA GONZALEZ
COUNCILWOMAN, FIRST DISTRICT
REX RICHARDSON
VICE MAYOR, NINTH DISTRICT
JEANNINE PEARCE
COUNCILMEMBER, SECOND DISTRICT
ROBERTO URANGA
COUNCILMEMBER, SEVENTH DISTRICT