HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 2013-067RESOLUTION NO. 2013-067
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA URGING THE IMMEDIATE
IMPLEMENTATION OF REASONABLE AND
COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM THROUGH A
BI-PARTISAN APPROACH
WHEREAS, the City of Chula Vista ("City") is a diverse city with residents that include
immigrants and refugees, from many parts of the world, who work, own homes, operate
businesses and contribute to the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the City; and
WHEREAS, the United States is a beacon of liberty with due process and civil rights
firmly embedded in the democratic principles of this nation, principles that must be reflected in
our immigration system; and
WHEREAS, the City is located just seven miles north of the city of Tijuana, Mexico, and
the two cities have significant economic, social and cultural ties; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the cultural and social riches our nation receives through the
San Diego-Tijuana international border, the ports of entry drive regional and national trade with
economic benefits approaching $500 billion in trade in 2011, according to a 2012 Border
Research Partnership report produced by the Wilson Center; and
WHEREAS, yeazs of gridlock in Congress on immigration reform has created a broken
immigration system which has led to serious, adverse social and economic implications for the
City and the San Diego metropolitan region; and
WHEREAS, it is important that immigration reform preserve all families, in the broadest
sense, and keep them together, regardless of immigration status and provide sufficient family-
based channels for migration in the future; and
WHEREAS, the City supports-and immigration reform should include-an efficient
and safe border, including added federal investment in infrastructure and technology at our ports
of entry, as well as adequate staffing, to keep pace with expanding bilateral trade and population
growth of the border region; and
WHEREAS, the City supports-and immigration reform should include-a pathway to
citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living within our nation's borders not
tied to unreasonable conditions; and
WHEREAS, it is equally important to provide a pathway to citizenship for those
individuals who entered the United States without proper documentation as young children and
have been raised and educated in the United States; and
Resolution No. 2013-067
Page No. 2
WHEREAS, the current visa backlog for family-sponsored immigration petitions is over
20 years long and deters individuals wanting to come to the United States from doing so; and
WHEREAS, reform must cleaz out the visa backlog, streamline the process for procuring
visas, and include business accountability measures to ensure that U.S. companies have the
resources they need when talent is not available.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Chula
Vista supports the work of the 113th Congress of the United States, through a bi-partisan
approach, to reform the currently broken immigration system.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Chula Vista urges the
President and Congress, using this bi-partisan approach, to immediately develop and adopt
reasonable and comprehensive immigration reform policies, as described in this resolution, for
the benefit of the City, the greater San Diego region, and the nation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk is directed to send a copy of this
resolution to the President of the United States, and to the Honorable members of the 113th
Congress of the United States who represent the San Diego region, to urge their immediate
attention to this matter.
Presented by
Approved as to form by
JLl~( ~ ,,
Mazy Salas len R. G ogins
City Council tuber Ci mey
Resolution No. 2013-067
Page No. 3
PASSED, APPROVED, and ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Chula Vista,
California, this 23rd day of April 2013 by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers: Aguilar, Bensoussan, Ramirez, Salas and Cox
NAYS: Councilmembers: None
ABSENT: Councilmembers: None
~ d
Cheryl Cox, May
ATTEST:
Donna R. Norris, M ,City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO )
CITY OF CHULA VISTA )
I, Donna R. Norris, City Clerk of Chula Vista, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution No. 2013-067 was duly passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at a
regular meeting of the Chula Vista City Council held on the 23rd day of April 2013.
Executed this 23rd day of April 2013.
Donna R. Norris, CMC, City Clerk