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J. LUIS CORREA 46TH DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA WASHINGTON OFFICE 2301 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2965 SANTA ANA DISTRICT OFFICE 2323 N. BHOADWAY, SurtE 319 SANTA ANA, CA 92706 (714) 559-6190 (fongress of #4e pnihb $ta es Douse of gepreseufafiires pasilirtgfon, PC 20515 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT, MANAGEMENT, AND ACCW NTABILITT CHAIR SUBCOMMITTEE ON BORDER SECURITY, FACILITATION, AND OPERATIONS HOUSE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMTTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITY HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE SUBCOMMITTEE ON LIVESTOCK AND FOREIGN AGRICULTURE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY SUBCOMMITTEE ON BIOTECHNOLOGY, HORTICULTURE, AND RESEARCH May 24, 2021 PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS BLUE DOG COALITION NEW DEMOCRAT COALITION CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS Dear Santa Ana Mayor Sarmiento and Council, As we still deal with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant communities are still facing many challenges. In our community, where almost half of the population are new Americans, the stakes are high. Immigrant families face harsh and often punitive federal immigration policies that make them more vulnerable than ever to deportation and separation from loved ones. While there has been a change in the Administration, many issues remain an unfortunately the threat of deportation remains real for many families. When I entered Congress in 2017, the fast bill I introduced was the DIRE Legal Aid Act, which sought to create a federal program to ensure every immigrant facing deportation has a credible and capable immigration attorney. In the United States, we are supposed to have "due process." That's why we have public defenders. Yet, when it comes to immigration laws, due process is hard to come by. The negative effects of denying immigrants due process reverberate far beyond immigrant communities. Deportations ravage families and separate American citizens from their parents. Deporting farmworkers that harvest and process our food hurts our national security and jeopardizes our safety. Thankfully, Santa Ana recognizes the importance of due process and legal representation and has taken bold steps to blunt the impact of the Administration's harsh immigration actions on our city. Santa Ana became the first Orange County city to offer publicly -funded legal defense for immigrants facing deportation as part of Vera's SAFE (Safety & Fairness for Everyone) Network. The Santa Ana Deportation Defense Fund ensures that immigrants have some due process, and the possible opportunity to continue to be productive, taxpaying members of our society. I ask you to make the Santa Ana Deportation Legal Defense Fund a permanent line item in your budget and to allocate $300,000 for the budget year of 2021-2022. I encourage you tall to continue stepping up to protect our taxpaying community and reminding our neighbors across the state and nation what we have known for generations, the unquestionable value immigrants in our nation, and our economy. Sincerely, may, J. Luis Correa Member of Congress CORREA.HOUSE.GOV