AJR 49, Gonzalez. Immigration: deportation.
This measure would urge President Obama to take executive action to suspend any further deportations of legalization-eligible individuals with no serious criminal history.
WHEREAS, According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2011, there were 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Deportations have reached record levels under President Obama, rising to an annual average of nearly 400,000 since 2009; and
WHEREAS, According to Members of Congress Raul M. Grijalva and Yvette Clarke, although the Obama Administration reportedly prioritized deporting only criminals, many individuals with no serious criminal history consistently have been deported; and
WHEREAS, Increased deportations and a continuously broken immigration system exacerbate the living conditions of United States citizen children whose parents have been deported; and
WHEREAS, Separation of children from their parents, irrespective of immigration status, always results in severe consequences for young children, who are often left with no parental guidance or care and a highly unstable financial situation; and
WHEREAS, As immigration continues to be at the center of a national debate, President Obama and Congress must implement a more humanitarian immigration policy that keeps families together; and
WHEREAS, California is home to approximately 10.3 million immigrants of which approximately 2.6 million are not authorized to live in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Many Members of Congress recently signed a letter requesting President Obama to suspend any further deportations; and
WHEREAS, Since California is home to a large number of unauthorized immigrants from all parts of the world, this state should make it a priority to keep families together and continue to press President Obama and Congress for a solution to our broken federal immigration system; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges President Obama to take executive action to suspend any further deportations of legalization-eligible individuals with no serious criminal history; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.
97