Immigration

California is the most diverse state in the nation and reflects the foundation of America’s strength, emphasizing the fundamental principles of inclusion and national unity that respect rules of law and human dignity. We know that we can strengthen America’s borders while upholding our values by honoring the tradition of providing a safe place for immigrants seeking a life of freedom and opportunity. California Democrats believe that the American immigration system should be inclusive, fair, and just. Immigration must be consistent with American values of freedom, opportunity, compassion, and respect for human rights. Immigrants add to the rich diversity of California. All immigrants have rights that must be protected and respected.

As citizens of a state built upon the successes of immigrants, California Democrats will:

Immigrant Rights

• Ensure that the fundamental rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are applied to every person within U.S. borders or held in U.S. custody;
• Fight inhumane treatment of undocumented individuals, including separating children from parents and other accompanying family, caging individuals, and withholding adequate food, hygiene supplies, medical care;
• Oppose travel and immigration bans that are based solely on ethnicity, race, religion, or national origin;
• Urge support and respect for international law and adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and U.N. Convention to the Status of Refugees;
• Oppose detention centers that detain or incarcerate based solely on ethnicity, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression;
• Support efforts to provide assistance in learning English and educational opportunities for cultural immersion;
• Support efforts that maximize educational opportunities for all immigrant students, including access to public education and financial assistance as an investment for our common future;
• Affirm the policies of the state Department of Industrial Relations and the federal EEOC (Western Region) that immigrant workers, without regard to status or documentation, are protected as to minimum wage, working conditions, and wage theft or other abuses;
• Affirm efforts to provide equal access to housing for all immigrants and condemn conduct that denies equal housing to all, including a landlord’s inquiry into the citizenship or immigration status of a tenant or a prospective tenant;
• Support efforts to provide health care and access to insurance for all immigrants to ensure the well-being of our communities;
• Support efforts to promote available government services to immigrant communities;
• Support outreach efforts that promote civic engagement and participation in the political process among naturalized citizens that reflect the diversity of our communities, such as voter registration and voter education, and support effective legal safeguards and protections for access to voting and voting materials in letters, spirit, and practice;
• Oppose scapegoating, racial profiling, religious profiling, bigotry, vigilantism, exploitation, and any xenophobic conduct that polarize communities and denounce actions by the government or individuals that keep undocumented immigrants in the shadows of our society;
• Affirm immigration rights based on human rights and support the goals of the Violence Against Women Act, petitioners for U Visas for victims of crimes, and petitioners for T Visas for victims of human trafficking;
• Ensure intervention for abuse, discrimination, and crime among or against immigrants and removing the fear of arrest and deportation for reporting such abuse;
• Encourage cooperation of state and local law enforcement when serving immigrant communities in the interest of public safety for all;
• Oppose law enforcement agencies that unfairly target, threaten, intimidate, or otherwise harass immigrants because of immigration status; and,
• Oppose local law enforcement agencies acting as federal immigration law enforcement or cooperating with federal law enforcement absent a federal judicial warrant;

Immigration and Reform

• Advocate for comprehensive immigration reform to make the process more equitable, fair and transparent;
• Support complete and humane, bipartisan immigration reform that addresses fairness, country of origin, family reunification, and family unity, including giving full faith and credit to families of same sex marriages and same sex couples;
• Encourage increased and expedited processing of applications for family reunification and naturalization while supporting reasonable and fair application fees;
• Support our elected officials in seeking timely information with regard to status of immigration paperwork for constituents, particularly for those constituents who have suffered hardship from backlogs and undue delays;
• Support efforts to provide undocumented immigrants with a transitional path to earned, legalized residency and citizenship, including methods to pay back taxes, learn English, register with the federal government for work permits, contribute to the U.S. through education, work, military service, or other community service, complete criminal and security background checks, and acquire driver licenses and insurance coverage. Work to ensure all counties have resources necessary to provide assistance to immigrants;
• Support efforts to provide an expedited path to citizenship for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) individuals and their families;
• Affirm birthright citizenship as articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) that children born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens, without regard to parentage;
• Support the creation of an immediate path to citizenship for individuals who have served in the U.S. Military or were promised U.S. citizenship for aiding U.S. Military in combat;
• Oppose deportation of individuals who have served in the U.S. Military;
• Support automatic citizenship to children born outside of the United States to U.S. citizens in military service;
• Support efforts to improve the naturalization process and make citizenship more accessible and affordable by increasing transparency on application fees, providing uniform administration of the naturalization exam, implementing accommodations for immigrants with disabilities, and assisting immigrants with citizenship requirements;
• Oppose any changes in immigration law that make it more difficult for LGBTQ individuals escaping violence and persecution from seeking asylum in the United States;
• Oppose construction of an unnecessary border wall between the United States and Mexico, as well as other traps designed to ensnare people as they cross the border; and,
• Advocate for the reform of the immigration cap system to eliminate the unequitable impact on immigrants from larger countries.