CHRIS DALY
COMMITTEES
Chair, Budget and Finance Committee Member,
Board of Supervisors MEMBER
District 6 Bay Area Air Management District
Transbay Joint Powers Committee
Transportation Authority
Treasure Island Development Authority Ex Oficio
Urban Counties Caucus
For Immediate Release Contact: John Avalos
June 12, 2006 554-7969

Supervisors and Immigrant Community Leaders Decry Lack of Proactive Budgeting to Respond to Pending Federal Immigration Reform
Immigrant Community Proposes $2M for Legal and Language Services


On Tuesday, June 13, the Supervisor Chris Daly will be joining Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Ross Mirkarimi and members of the immigrant community who are decrying the lack of commitment in the Mayor’s budget to proactively respond to pending immigration legislation now under consideration in Congress. “The proposed changes coming down from Washington are causing much worry and confusion in the immigrant community,” said Supervisor Chris Daly. “While even the Mayor expressed opposition to the federal legislation, the budget he submitted had nothing in it to meet these new challenges.”

The press conference follows on the heals of last month’s historic national mobilizations for immigrant rights. A broad-based coalition of community organizations of Arab, Asian Pacific Islander, and Latino community organizations is proposing a Immigrant Rights Emergency Response Network that will give teeth to the City’s pledged commitment to protecting the rights of immigrants.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will also be voting on a resolution affirming the City’s opposition to any federal legislation that would criminalize undocumented immigrants and committing local resources to support immigrant residents in San Francisco. At the Budgeet Committee, Supervisors will back up the resolutions with a budget proposal to fund a comprehensive response network that would: 1) increase the availability of desperately needed immigration legal services, 2) offer English as a Second Language courses; and 3) conduct community outreach and education.

In particular, the proposal will target lower-income immigrants that make up an important sector of San Francisco’s work force. “San Francisco has already established itself as a City of Refuge, proscribing the collusion of local agencies with federal immigration officials,” said Supervisor Chris Daly. “Now the City can go a step further and assure that immigrant residents have access to reliable resources and are well-equipped to handle the harmful impact of changes in federal immigration legislation.”

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