Bill Text: CA SJR19 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Enforcement of immigration laws.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2009-09-11 - In Assembly. Held at Desk. [SJR19 Detail]
Download: California-2009-SJR19-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: SJR 19 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Senator Cedillo
SEPTEMBER 3, 2009
Relative to immigration.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SJR 19, as introduced, Cedillo. Enforcement of immigration laws.
This measure would condemn specified policies and practices of
federal agencies regarding the enforcement of immigration laws, and
would urge Congress and the President of the United States to declare
an immediate moratorium on those policies and practices until a
comprehensive reform of immigration laws is enacted and implemented.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, The State of California values all of its residents,
whether they be citizens, legal residents, or undocumented
immigrants, and strives to enable all residents to work and live free
from discrimination, exploitation, and repressive federal
immigration enforcement; and
WHEREAS, In California, the population of which is expected to
increase to 54 million by 2040--including a Latino population of 27
million, a Caucasian population of 16 million, and an Asian
population of 7 million--immigrants are and will continue to be a
critical resource; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, 1 of every
8 people living in the United States is an immigrant and
approximately one-third of those immigrants are undocumented; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 8.1 million undocumented workers
in the United States economy comprising 15 percent of the national
labor force with an annual federal tax contribution of more than $30
billion; and
WHEREAS, There is clear evidence that undocumented workers are
currently making great contributions to the national economy; and
WHEREAS, In California alone, there are 8.9 million immigrants,
making up 26 percent of the total population and one-third of
California's labor force, who figure prominently in agriculture,
manufacturing, construction, and service industries. Those immigrants
pay approximately $4.5 billion in state taxes each year,
significantly contributing to California's economy; and
WHEREAS, In California, the average immigrant-headed household
contributes a net of $2,679 annually to social security, which is
$539 more than the average household headed by a person born in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, Immigrants are among California's most productive
entrepreneurs, and have created jobs for tens of thousands of
Californians. By 2000, immigrant owners of Silicon Valley companies
created 72,839 jobs and generated more than $19.5 billion in sales.
Google, Sun Microsystems, eBay, and Yahoo! are all companies that
were founded or cofounded by immigrants; and
WHEREAS, In the absence of comprehensive federal immigration
reform, the program initiated under the Bush administration known as
"Operation Return to Sender," the federal Department of Homeland
Security, through the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE), conducted aggressive raids in homes and workplaces in efforts
to locate, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants; and
WHEREAS, The Obama administration, in order to take action and
implement some type of enforcement while federal comprehensive
immigration reform is considered, has shifted its focus to an
"enforcement only" policy in the form of aggressive unprecedented
enforcement against employers who hire immigrants; and
WHEREAS, In order to achieve better enforcement, the federal
Department of Homeland Security and the federal Social Security
Administration seek to require use of the E-Verify system, federal
employment verification, audits of profiled companies that hire
immigrants, and expansion of police-ICE collaboration. As a result,
employers may well engage in prohibited behavior, such as using
verification programs for purposes other than verifying employment
eligibility or to prescreen employment candidates, resulting in
discrimination against workers; and
WHEREAS, Latino workers are among the most vulnerable and have a
higher likelihood of being disproportionately affected by these
programs; and
WHEREAS, The employer audits and the mandatory use of the E-Verify
system would affect millions of workers, and there is a concern for
the broader and negative implications that an expansion of the use of
E-Verify by all other sectors will have on the United States
workforce during this difficult economic crisis; and
WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a
mandatory E-Verify employment verification program would decrease
federal revenue by $17.3 billion over 10 years because more workers
would be paid "off the books"; and
WHEREAS, In light of the economic crisis our country is currently
facing, excessive employer auditing and mandatory use of the E-Verify
system add an additional burden to businesses and employers as they
are being forced to lay off thousands of workers; and
WHEREAS, Companies such as Overhill Farms, American Apparel,
Farmer Johns, and Micro Solutions, among others, have been
drastically affected by the aggressive enforcement of immigration
laws; and
WHEREAS, Raids, employer audits, and mandatory use of the E-Verify
system harm immigrants, their employers, their communities, and our
economy and are disruptive to communities where immigrants have
settled and contribute to the growth of local communities; and
WHEREAS, Trying to deport 10 million undocumented immigrants would
cost at least $206 billion over 5 years, according to a study by the
Center for American Progress; and
WHEREAS, If workers targeted by these enforcement efforts were
removed from the workforce, the effects would ripple through many
industries as they would face substantial shortages of workers; and
WHEREAS, We cannot speak of resolving the current economic crisis,
or important health or security concerns, without addressing the
interwoven issue of immigration; and
WHEREAS, The recent actions of ICE run counter to the principles
of this country, which was founded on immigration and where early
Irish, Italian, Asian, and African American families founded some of
the country's most important institutions; and
WHEREAS, The increase and severity of ICE's actions in our country
only underscores the absolute ineffectiveness of current federal
immigration policy and the urgent need for comprehensive immigration
reform; and
WHEREAS, Our current immigration system is broken and greatly in
need of reform. In order to create real, long-lasting reform, we must
create a pathway to legal status for the millions of undocumented
immigrants who have made lives for themselves and their families in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, After a meeting between President Barack Obama, Canadian
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon
in Guadalajara, Mexico, President Obama announced that immigration
reform legislation will have to wait until 2010; and
WHEREAS, If reform is not possible this year, relief in the form
of a moratorium on employer sanctions, raids, deportations, the use
of E-Verify, and prolonged detention for immigration-related offenses
is absolutely necessary to maintain stability in our communities and
to minimize economic disruption. A moratorium on the Obama
enforcement strategy will provide temporary relief from the policies
and practices that are tearing up the integrity and unity of our
families and at the same time provide the federal government the
necessary time to propose, debate, and enact comprehensive
immigration reform; and
WHEREAS, Without a balanced approach on immigration and economic
recovery, security planning, public health, and the lives of 12 to 18
million people will remain in limbo; and
WHEREAS, Former federal Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
recently announced that one of her biggest regrets during her term of
service for the Bush administration was not achieving immigration
reform. She also stated immigrants were critical to the country's
financial health, and that reform was needed to fuel the next round
of economic growth, referring to immigrants as "one of the strongest
elements not only of our national wealth, but also of our national
soul"; and
WHEREAS, We are a nation of immigrants that continues to be a
beacon of hope and liberty, attracting the best and brightest from
across the globe who fight to start a better life in our country and
take part in the American dream; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature hereby condemns the
excessive employer audits, mandatory use of the E-Verify system,
immigration raids, arrests, detentions, and deportations of
undocumented immigrants conducted by the federal Department of
Homeland Security, through the Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature urges Congress and the President of
the United States to declare an immediate moratorium on the
aggressive, unprecedented enforcement of employer sanctions,
including excessive audits of profiled companies that hire
immigrants, the expanded use of the E-Verify system, the federal
system of employment verification, the expansion of police-ICE
collaboration, and immigration raids in the State of California,
until our nation can enact and implement a comprehensive and just
reform of our immigration laws with a comprehensive immigration
program that recognizes the broad contributions immigrants have made
to the fabric of the country; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to each
Senator and representative from California in the Congress of the
United States.
