Santa Rosa Sanctuary City Now!

A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA, EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR COMPREHENSIVE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION REFORMS THAT: 1. CREATE A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP, ENSURE ECONOMIC STRENGTH AND PROMOTE STRONGER COMMUNITIES and 2. SUPPORTS THE EXTENSION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DACA AND DAPA.
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Rosa has always been proud of its immigrant history;
WHEREAS, immigrants from all over the world have been a significant portion of
Santa Rosa's growth over the past decades, bringing new life and investment to our City's
neighborhoods, educational systems, and commercial endeavors, as well as a large pool of hardworking, reliable and dedicated employees and entrepreneurs;
WHEREAS, each day thousands of immigrants work, own homes, open businesses, and
contribute to the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the City;
WHEREAS, above all, we believe in the human dignity of all Sana Rosa residents;
V/HEREAS, the Federal Government's immigration system is fundamentally broken,
holding back our economy and fostering a sense of divisiveness and fear in communities
throughout America;
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Rosa recognizes that immigration reform must protect the rights
of all workers and families and provide sufficient channels for migration in the future;
WHEREAS, the creation of a pathway to citizenship for aspiring Americans would
improve wages, working standards, and above all extend the opportunity for advancement to all
workers.
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Rosa recognizes the hopes of millions of immigrants to reunify.
their families and, as Santa Rosans have always held the core values of family and hard work, we
recognize the dreams of young immigrants to get a quality education and contribute to our
communities; and
WHEREAS, immigration reform is an urgent federal responsibility and must occur in a
comprehensive, thoughtful manner guided by our nation's values of due process, civil and human
rights, accountability, and proportionality.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the City of Santa Rosa hereby urges the
United States Congress to adopt and enact comprehensive immigration reform that includes the
following principles:
(1) that establishes a clear, fast, and reasonable pathway to citizenship;
(2) keeps families together;
(3) upholds our values as a nation;
(4) promotes economic growth, and
(5) creates a fair immigration system guided by respect for the human rights of all
persons; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Santa Rosa supports comprehensive federal immigration reform such as the bipartisan bill. S. 744, passed by the United States Senate on June 27, 2013; and
WHEREAS, the United States of America is proud of its history as a nation of
immigrants; and 
WHEREAS, our nation’s history has proven that immigrant integration is a
desired outcome that should be promoted via federal, state, and local policies; and
WHEREAS, the United States of America has taken many actions to address the
incongruity, including, but not limited to, current and future labor market needs and the
limited availability of immigration visas, leading to a situation which has been described
as a “broken immigration system”; and
WHEREAS, on November 20, 2014, President Barack Obama announced a set
of Executive Actions on Immigration that include enhancing enforcement on
undocumented immigrants along the border, 
WHEREAS, the Executive Action on Immigration announced by President
Obama also includes the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Program (DACA) and the creation of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and
Lawful Permanent Residents (also known as DAPA); and
WHEREAS, the implementation of DACA has enabled hundreds of thousands of
immigrants in the nation, and thousands in the City of Santa Rosa and other Bay Area and North Coast
communities, to undergo background checks, obtain temporary protection from
deportation, and to obtain temporary work permits, thereby allowing them to contribute
to the reactivation of the national economy, to become responsible members of our
society, and contribute to the stability of their families; and
WHEREAS, since becoming operative on January 1, 2015, California Assembly
Bill 60 has enabled over 400,000 people, who are unable to submit satisfactory proof of
legal presence in the United States, to obtain driver’s licenses; and

WHEREAS, many local schools and school districts and other organizations and community groups are working to provide an education and a variety of supportive services for Santa Rosa’s immigrant population; and 
WHEREAS, local institutions of higher learning, including Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University, have established DREAM centers to support enrolled immigrant students; and 
WHEREAS, despite all of the above actions, the United States Congress has yet to pass comprehensive immigration reform and the full implementation of extended DAPA has been suspended in federal courts. 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Santa Rosa as
follows: 
1. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the City of Santa Rosa hereby urges the United States Congress to adopt and enact comprehensive immigration, with haste, and the President to sign into law, reform that includes the following principles (all of which are part of bipartisan legislation passed by the United States Senate on June 27, 2013- S.744):
(1) that establishes a clear, fast, and reasonable pathway to citizenship;
(2) keeps families together;
(3) upholds our values as a nation;
(4) promotes economic growth, and
(5) creates a fair immigration system guided by respect for the human rights of all
persons; and


2. Congress and the President of the United States are hereby encouraged
to extend and implement the DACA and DAPA programs announced by the
President in 2014 to incorporate immigrants from all countries and
backgrounds, and especially those immigrants who are residents of the
City of Santa Rosa and that such legislation provide a path to citizenship for
lawful undocumented persons residing in the United States; and
3. IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, the Council of the City of Santa Rosa supports
the immediate extension and implementation of DACA and DAPA to benefit
Santa Rosa residents who might benefit from these programs and enable them
to further contribute to the greatness of our nation; and
4. IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, the Council of the City of Santa Rosa affirms the
desire to actively promote the economic, social, linguistic and civic
integration of all immigrants residing in the City of Santa Rosa; and
5. IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, the Council of the City of Santa Rosa supports
the active collaboration between the City of Santa Rosa and non-profit
immigration services providers and community based organizations to
emulate the efforts of other welcoming cities throughout the nation and
develop a plan to promote the economic, social, linguistic, and civic
integration of Santa Rosa’s immigrant residents; and


5.. IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, the Council of the City of Santa Rosa invites
other cities in Sonoma County and neighboring counties in the Bay Area and North Coast to follow suit and work towards the development of a regional approach to immigrant integration that will uphold the American tradition of being a nation of immigrants, whose role in enriching our nation culturally and economically is recognized by the City of Santa Rosa.

7. IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy this resolution shall be sent to the City of Santa Rosa’s federal representatives and to the President of the United States.