Senate Joint Resolution No. 8

Introduced by Senator Correa

(Coauthors: Senators Beall, Calderon, Cannella, De León, Hernandez, Lara, Lieu, Padilla, Wolk, and Yee)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonilla, Garcia, Perea, and V. Manuel Pérez)

March 18, 2013

Senate Joint Resolution No. 8—Relative to immigration.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SJR 8, as introduced, Correa. Immigration.

This measure would specify principles for repairing the nation’s broken immigration system, and would urge Congress and the President of the United States to take a comprehensive and workable approach to improving the nation’s immigration system using those principles.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, This country was built by immigrants seeking a
better life; and

WHEREAS, Estimates suggest there are 11 million
undocumented immigrants living in the shadows in the United
States, including millions of children brought to this country
undocumented who have grown up here and call the United States
home; and

WHEREAS, A logical and streamlined path to citizenship for
these residents would stimulate the economy by allowing them to
get college degrees and driver’s licenses, buy homes, start new
companies, and create legal, tax-paying jobs, affording them a
chance at the American Dream; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress last enacted major
immigration legislation more than 25 years ago; and

WHEREAS, Since that time, fragmented attempts at immigration
reform have failed to create rational and effective systems needed
to maintain international competitiveness. Whether in an industry
like agriculture, which requires large numbers of workers able to
perform physically demanding tasks, or in technology or health
care, where the demand for employees with advanced degrees is
projected to exceed supply within the next five years, immigration
policy must be designed to respond to emerging labor needs in all
sectors of the United States economy; and

WHEREAS, Our national interests and security are not served
by our outdated, inefficient, and slow-moving immigration system.
Patchwork attempts to mend its deficiencies undermine our
potential for prosperity and leave us vulnerable and unable to meet
the needs of the modern world; and

WHEREAS, To help our country recover from the financial
crisis, labor mobility is crucial to our economic prosperity. Yet
our rigid, outdated immigration policies are making it difficult for
our companies and our nation to compete. Information released in
a study by the University of California, Los Angeles, stated that
legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants working and
living in the United States would create around $1.5 trillion in
additional gross domestic product growth over the next 10 years
and increase wages for all workers. A study done by the University
of California, Davis, indicates that the last large wave of
immigrants, from 1990 to 2007, raised the income of the
native-born American worker by an average of $5,000; and

WHEREAS, California has the largest share of immigrants in
the country, and together they make up almost half our population.
Approximately 11 percent of workers in California are
undocumented immigrants. They are a vital and productive part
of our state’s economy and are active in a variety of industries,
including technology, biotech, hospitality, agriculture, construction,
services, transportation, and textiles. They also represent a large
share of our new small business owners and create economic
prosperity and needed jobs for everyone; and

WHEREAS, Keeping these families, business owners, and hard
workers in the shadows of society serves no one; and

WHEREAS, Our state, for economic, social, health, security,
and prosperity reasons, must support policies that allow
undocumented immigrants to become legal and enfranchised
participants in our society and economy; and

WHEREAS, Comprehensive immigration reform should include
a reasonable and timely path to citizenship for undocumented
immigrants living and working in the United States already. It
should include health and comprehensive background checks, and
require demonstrated proficiency in English and payment of all
current and back taxes, and should have the flexibility to respond
to emerging business trends; and

WHEREAS, The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan
research group in Washington, D.C., estimated that in 2012 the
federal government spent $18 billion on immigration enforcement
and that the number of United States Border Patrol agents has
doubled since 2004; and

WHEREAS, Increased enforcement has given the federal
government the ability to prioritize the deportation of lawbreakers
and dangerous individuals and to ensure our border’s security.
Nevertheless, this enforcement should not be done in an inhumane
way; and

WHEREAS, Immigration enforcement should continue to focus
on criminals, not on hardworking immigrant families, and not at
the expense of efficient trade with two of our top three economic
partners; and

WHEREAS, The United States loses large numbers of necessary,
highly skilled workers due to the lengthy and complicated
processes currently in place to get or keep a legal residency option;
and

WHEREAS, Reform should also include an expedited process
for those residing abroad and applying for legal visas. Additionally,
reform should offer permanent residency opportunities to
international students in American universities who are highly
trained and in high demand, and in so doing avoid an intellectual
vacuum after their graduation; and

WHEREAS, This reform should also include a way to help
families remain together throughout the lengthy bureaucratic
process. The system should take into account special circumstances
surrounding candidates for probationary legal status, such as those
of minors brought to the country as children or workers whose
labor is essential to maintain our country’s competitiveness; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President and
the Congress of the United States to take a comprehensive and
workable approach to solving our nation’s broken immigration
system, using the principles described in this resolution; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United
States.