ACR 182: Immigrant Day of Action.

This measure would reaffirm the Legislatures commitment to upholding the human rights of immigrants, commend the courage and determination of immigrant community leaders, and celebrate the 26th annual Immigrant Day of Action.

WHEREAS, April 26, 2022, will mark the 26th annual Immigrant Day of Action in the City of Sacramento; and

WHEREAS, Each May for the past 25 years, hundreds of immigrant community leaders, clergy, and other supporters from across the state have traveled to the capitol to advocate for policies that honor the vital role of immigrants in Californias civic, economic, cultural, and community life; and

WHEREAS, Immigrant Day of Action began in the aftermath of discriminatory measures such as Proposition 187 in 1994, which sought to exclude immigrants from the social services safety net and health care and to deny immigrant children education and 1996 federal law and regulations, which effectively excluded many immigrants from vital public safety net programs providing care and support; and

WHEREAS, During the ensuing 20 years of community organizing and advocacy, the views of Californians on immigration policies have drastically transformed, with approximately 75 percent of adults expressing support in recent polling for the inclusion, not deportation, of undocumented immigrant community members; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, the Legislature has passed, and the Governor has signed, a series of groundbreaking measures, including the Safe and Responsible Driver Act, the Health for All Kids program, the TRUST Act, the California Dream Act, the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, the California Values Act, Health 4 All Young Adults, an expansion of the California Earned Income Tax Credit, and other measures to protect the rights of communities of color, many of whom are immigrants; and

WHEREAS, Together these proposals have created a national blueprint for pro-immigrant policy, and

WHEREAS, Californias progress stands in contrast to the federal governments ongoing failure to create a common-sense, humane immigration process, which has left many immigrant community members in California vulnerable to detention, deportation, criminalization, and abuse; and

WHEREAS, Californias immigrant communities continue to face many key challenges, including exclusion from health care, unsound deportation programs that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates without transparency, an unjust deportation system with profound barriers to due process, and lack of access to community-based resources that can open the doors to citizenship or deportation relief for those eligible, and

WHEREAS, Californias location on the border between the United States and Mexico provides the state unique insights into the needs of border communities and the importance of upholding civil rights in the border region and guarding against abuses, and

WHEREAS, Divisive, hateful, scapegoating rhetoric directed toward immigrants, which particularly targets communities of color and is accompanied by inflammatory rhetoric concerning the border, has received significant attention nationwide, increasing the need for continued proactive policymaking that affirms the human rights of immigrants; and

WHEREAS, Immigrant Day of Action encourages leaders to continue embracing structural changes that allow for the full inclusion of all Californians in our states laws and policies; and

WHEREAS, This years Immigrant Day of Action platform advocates for the California Immigrant Equity Budget, a call to get us one step closer to an acknowledgment from state leaders of the vital contributions immigrants have made to the health, economy, and ultimate well-being of the state; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature stands firm in its commitment to upholding the human rights of immigrants, that it commends the courage and determination of immigrant community leaders who have worked hard for over two decades to advance inclusive policies, and that it joins immigrants across California in celebrating the 26th annual Immigrant Day of Action; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.