Correspondence - 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Flores, Dora From:Izzy Biggs <izzyrbiggs@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, To:eComment Cc:Amezcua, Valerie; Bacerra, Phil; Phan, Thai; Penaloza, David; Lopez, Jessie; Hernandez, Johnathan; Vazquez, Benjamin Subject:Agenda Item 21: Sanctuary Policy Advisory Group Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. Dear Mayor Amezcua and City Council-members, My name is Isabella Biggs and I am a stalwart supporter of the protection of immigrants in Orange County, regardless of status but especially those who are undocumented bI am 23 years old and an American citizen born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to California in 2011. When my parents abandoned me financially and i was facing homelessness, undocumented immigrants are the ones who kept me fed and housed. Without the undocumented loved ones in my life I— in the most literal sense— would not be alive today. Orange County runs and thrives on immigrants, they are the reason it has such a rich and vibrant culture. The strong community in the OC is revered across California— and it’s because of the community that immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, have nurtured. Undocumented immigrants are not criminals; they are important pillars in communities that show the beauty of human nature— that prove humans inherently wish to help one another. I am writing to express my strong support for moving forward with Agenda Item 21 and bringing back the Sanctuary Policy Advisory Group, a community oversight mechanism written within the ordinance to facilitate trust and transparency between the City of Santa Ana and its immigrant residents. In January 2017, the Council passed a robust Ordinance with language stating that they would establish a task force made up of community members to advise the City Council on policies related to the ordinance, including helping craft policies to protect immigrants as well as recommend ways to use and oversee a city fund to help immigrants fight deportation in court. This advisory group has not met for some time and with so much uncertainty, now is the time for the City of Santa Ana to reaffirm its support for the immigrant community and revive the Sanctuary Policy Advisory Group to help facilitate trust and transparency between the City of Santa Ana and its immigrant residents. Santa Ana’s status as a sanctuary city builds on years of community-based struggles fighting for the political, economic, and human rights of our vibrant immigrant communities. I stand firm with Councilwoman Lopez's request for the advisory group to reconvene within 30 days to provide updates to the city and recommendations on ways they can better protect residents. 3