HomeMy WebLinkAbout85A - RESO - PROTECT IMMIGRANT FAMILIESRESOLUTION NO. 2016 -XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA URGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
PROTECT IMMIGRANT FAMILIES AND VICTIMS OF TRUST ACT VIOLATIONS FROM NEEDLESS
DEPORTATIONS BY EXERCISING MAXIMUM USE OF PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION
WHEREAS, immigrant workers and families make significant contributions to every facet of the
City of Santa Ana economic, educational and cultural life; and
WHEREAS, City government has a responsibility to both maintain public safety and ensure that
all residents feel secure, respected and able to interact with public safety officials without fear; and
WHEREAS, there is a consensus that United States immigration laws are outdated, unjust, and in
need of reform; and
WHEREAS, immigration law enforcement is the purview of the federal government, and
conflation of civil immigration law enforcement and local criminal law enforcement have resulted in
considerable erosion of; and public safety by creating social distance between police and the
community
WHEREAS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has recently discontinued its failed
"Secure Communities" program which gave rise to Arizona's infamous 561070; and
WHEREAS, on Jan. 12014, the CA legislature passed the Trust Act (AB 4) to protect California
residents against the controversial Secure Communities program by shielding certain immigrants from
deportation; and
WHEREAS, Samuel Sixtos, A #095735387, is a Santa Ana resident who was unlawfully turned over
to ICE by the Orange County Sheriff's Department in violation of the CA law TRUST ACT (AB 4) resulting
in the unjust detention of Samuel at the Adelanto Detention Center; and
WHEREAS, Samuel works low -wage jobs like picking vegetables and washing dishes to help
support his single mother and his two U.S. citizen siblings who are students at the Santa Ana Unified
School District; and
WHEREAS, Samuel's advocacy and story has helped educate Santa Ana residents, lawyers,
policy makers, and the media, about the importance of the TRUST ACT including pressuring Attorney
General Kamala Harris to hold law enforcement accountable when violating the law; and
WHEREAS, Samuel received support from federal, state, and local elected officials while he was
detained, including a support letter from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D -46th) and Congressman
Alan Lowenthal (D -4711) documenting the hunger strike Samuel undertook to protest his incarceration;
and
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WHEREAS, it is necessary to exercise prosecutorial discretion to community members who have
long ties to the country, are not a flight risk, have community support, and pose no threat to our
country;
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1: The City Council of the City of Santa Ana, California, hereby finds, determines and
declares as follows:
Immigration Customs Enforcement Director Sara Saldana, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh
Johnson, and President Obama are urged to stop (a) the deportation of Samuel Sixtos A #095735387, (b)
protect our families from destructive application of unjust immigration laws, and (c) exercise maximum
use of prosecutorial discretion to protect the rights of individuals who are not an enforcement priority.
SECTION 2: The City Council of the City of Santa Ana, California, hereby finds, determines and
declares as follows:
The Orange County Sheriffs Department should be held accountable for violating Samuel Sixtos'
rights, for violating CA Gov. Code 7282.5(b), established by the TRUST ACT (AB 4), and for transferring
custody of Samuel Sixtos to ICE instead of releasing him as required by law.
Section 3: The Clerk of the Council is directed to send this Resolution to the President of the
United States, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Immigration Customs Enforcement Director
Sara Saldana, Immigration Customs Enforcement Field Director David Jennings, CA State Attorney
General Kamala Harris, and the Honorable Members of the 114th Congress representing the City of Santa
Ana.
Section 4: The Clerk of the Council shall certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution
and enter it into the book of original Resolutions.
Section 5: This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the City Council,
and the Clerk of the Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting this Resolution.
ADOPTED this 15`h day of March 2016.
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