Assembly Joint Resolution No. 16
CHAPTER 119

Relative to immigration.

[ Filed with Secretary of State  September 07, 2021. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AJR 16, Reyes. Immigration.
This measure would urge the President, Vice President, and the Congress of the United States to take a workable, humane, and just approach in solving our nation’s broken immigration system.
Fiscal Committee: NO  
WHEREAS, The United States of America is a nation of values, founded on the principles that all men and women are created equal, and the promise of freedom for all; and
WHEREAS, Our strength as a country has always been greater when we welcome newcomers; and
WHEREAS, Today, the United States is an economic and innovation powerhouse due to the labor and lands of Indigenous peoples to whom the United States has continuing trust and treaty responsibilities, the labor of enslaved people and their descendants, and generations of immigrants from every corner of the globe; and
WHEREAS, The current immigration system is broken, antiquated, and does not meet the challenges of the 21st century; and
WHEREAS, It is estimated that about 11 million undocumented immigrants are in the United States, and California has the largest population of immigrants, both legal and undocumented; and
WHEREAS, Immigrants and their children constitute nearly one-half of California’s population and live and work in all 58 counties, most notably in the San Diego, Central Valley, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura, and greater San Francisco areas; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 77 percent of undocumented immigrants who reside in California live with family members who are legal United States residents and citizens; and
WHEREAS, One in 10 workers in California is an undocumented immigrant, and immigrants are a vibrant, productive, and vital part of the state’s growing economy; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 70 percent of undocumented immigrants have resided in California for at least 10 years and have deep roots in our communities; and
WHEREAS, People, businesses, and communities suffer due to an immigration system that is plagued by backlogs, processing delays, and overly complex policies that are inefficient, harmful, and widen the existing deficiencies in the system; and
WHEREAS, The majority of Americans support modernizing our nation’s immigration laws and keeping families together and strengthening our economy; and
WHEREAS, Nearly four in five Californians (78 percent) believe immigrants are a benefit to the state and recognize their contributions to the workforce and economy; and
WHEREAS, Modernizing our antiquated and dysfunctional immigration system will uphold our nation’s basic values of fairness and equity, as well as access to health care; and
WHEREAS, A comprehensive, as well as compassionate, approach to solve our broken immigration system should be one that works for all communities and families in America; and
WHEREAS, A just immigration reform must ensure that it reflects one of our basic values — that we all are created equal — and therefore immigration reform must recognize each immigrant’s full humanity; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President, Vice President, and the Congress of the United States to take a workable, humane, and just approach to solving our nation’s broken immigration system; 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 House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, to the Governor of California, and to the author for appropriate distribution.