RES-2015-001 RESOLUTION N�. 2015 - 001
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM,
CALIFORNIA, IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND AS A COROLLARY TO
RESOLUTION NO. 2013-053, EXPRESSING CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR
COMPREHENSIVE FEDERAL IMMIGRATION REFORM AND URGING THE
114TH CONGRESS TO REVISIT AND PRIORTIZE ACTION ON THE
ADOPTION AND ENACTMENT OF REFORMS THAT SECURE OUR
BORDERS, ENSURE ECONOMIC STRENGTH, AND PROMOTE STRONGER
COMMUNITIES
WHEREAS, The City of Anaheim, on April 16, 2013, unanimousfy approved Resolution
No. 2013-053 in support of comprehensive federal immigration reform, attached hereto and
incorporated by reference herein; and
WHEREAS, in approving Resolution No. 2013-053, the City specifically recognized the
economic, social and cultural contributions immigrants bring to their communities and, in particular, to
the City of Anaheim, that family unity is a component of a strong economy, that re-unification of
families has been a key part of federal immigration policy for almost fifty years, that our nation's
immigration and border security policies are federal responsibilities that are in desperate need of
reform, that a talented workforce made up of both skilled and unskilled labor is a key driver of our local
economy, and that there is a need for an improved program that provides the City's businesses the
opportunity to employ foreign workers, when necessary, to improve economic competitiveness; and
WHEREAS, since that unanimous approval of Resolution No. 2013-053, the United States
Senate passed on June 27, 2013 a broad bipartisan immigration reform bill, the Border Security,
Economic Opportunity, and fmmigration Modernization Act of 2013 (S. 744), that would have cleared
the way for millions of undocumented residents to have a pathway to citizenship, attracted workers
from all over the world, and devoted unprecedented resources for border security; and
WHEREAS, in the months folfowing passage of S. 744, a bipartisan team in the United
States House of Representatives attempted to forge a similar compromise. When that failed, a wide-
ranging immigration reform bill was introduced on October 2, 20Z3 as a modified companion to S. 744
bearing the same name, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and immigration Modernization
Act of 2013 (H.R. 15j, and containing identical language for many provisions, including the envisioning of
a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumented residents living in the U.S.
Full House floor debate did not occur on this comprehensive immigration reform stand-alone bill; and
WHEREAS, there have been a series of executive actions taken by the President of the
United States with regartf to immigration policy enfarcement such as the June 15, 2012 announcement
of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arriva4s (DACA} initiative, based on the exercise of prosecutoriai
ciiscretion by the Department of Homeiand Security. It includes, but is not limited to, the granting of a
reprieve from deportation to children of undocumented residents sa lang as they were under the age of
30 and arrived in the United States before 2Q07; and
WNEREAS, most recentiy, on November 20, 2414, the President announced an
immigration policy change through executive action, offering temporary fegal status to over 5 miliion
undocumented residents, along with an incfefinite reprieve from deportation; and
WHEREAS, the 114th United States Congress will convene on January 6, 2015 with a
newly-constituted Nouse and Ser�ate, offering the potential for a revitalized commitment to finding
common sense immigration reform solutions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the City Council of the City of Anaheim,
California, urges the 114th United States Congress to revisit and prioritize action on the adoption and
enactment of comprehensive immigration reform that includes the following principles:
1. Providing for controlled admission, fair and just to those already in the legal immigration
process that includes a defined path for permanent residency and/or citizenship for the
nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States today;
2. Continued focus on securing our international borders, in conjunction with immigration
reform initiatives that allow for practical border controls;
3. Establishing an improved visa program, such as the proposed W-Visa, to provide our
businesses with the ability to hire certain categories of foreign workers when
documented residents are unavailable or unwilling to fill jobs;
4. Creating a methodology that accurately assesses labor market needs in order to
determine the number of foreign workers to be admitted for employment purposes
annually;
5. Increasing efforts to advance workforce talent outreach internationally and
strengthening programs in domestic science, technology, engineering, arts, and
mathematics (STEAM) training, to improve ongoing economic competitiveness, while
also promoting iegal immigration opportunities; and
6. Creating a streamlined process to resolve the backlog of existing visa applications and
developing methods to ensure the efficient processing of future immigration
applications in a timely manner, which will expedite re-unification of families.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the City Clerk is directed to send this resolution to the
President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President
of the United States Senate, and the Honorable Members of the 114th Congress representing the City of
Anaheim.
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THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION is approved and adopted by the City Council of the City of Anaheim this
6 day of January, 2015, by the following roll call vote:
AYES: MayorTait, Council Members Kring, Murray, Brandman and Vanderbilt
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
CITY OF AN
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MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM
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CITY CLERK OF THE ITY OF ANAHEIM
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