State of California Now On Record Urging President Obama to Suspend Further Deportations of Legalization-Eligible Immigrants

 

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s AJR 49 Calls for Executive Action to keep California families intact

SACRAMENTO – (Wednesday, September 3, 2014) – The California State Legislature has sent to President Obama a joint resolution by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) which calls on the Obama Administration to expand temporary protective status to all legalization-eligible immigrants through an executive action. This would initiate a ‘deferred action’ legalization process and cease the deportation of all eligible immigrants and families who have no serious criminal history, until Congress adopts humane and inclusive comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

“The financial and social cost to California due to family separations and the loss of children is enormous and inhumane,” Gonzalez said. “California is now clearly on record calling for an end to the deportation of legalization-eligible immigrants and backing a more humanitarian immigration policy that keeps families together.”

Under President Obama, deportations have risen to an average of 400,000 a year since 2009. According to the National Immigration Law Center, more than 1,000 immigrants are separated from their families and communities each day producing devastating effects to our nation.

The joint resolution was supported by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), California Immigrant Policy Center, Protect Our Families – Save the Children Campaign, Hermandad Mexicana Humanitarian Foundation, Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), and California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. It does not have any formal opposition.

AJR 49 was approved by the Senate on a 26-3 vote Friday evening after it passed the Assembly on a 55-18 vote August 21. The Chief Clerk of the Assembly will now 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.

For more information on AJR 49, or to interview Assemblywoman Gonzalez, contact Evan McLaughlin at (916) 319-2080 or (619) 850-2790.


Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez represents the 80th Assembly District, which includes Chula Vista, National City and the San Diego neighborhoods of City Heights, Barrio Logan, Paradise Hills, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. For more information, visit http://asmdc.org/members/a80/.