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Join us in standing up for Orange County's immigrant families and speaking out against hate.
Sign on to our letter (below) to demand that the Orange County Board of Supervisors condemn the hateful attacks leveled against those with immigrant backgrounds at the March 27th public hearing and demand that they stand up for Orange County's immigrant families by rejecting policies and actions which aim to separate families and attack immigrant communities.
April 4, 2018
Orange County Board of Supervisors
Hall of Administration
333 W. Santa Ana Blvd.,
Santa Ana, 92701
Re: Concerns with Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric & Policies Within Orange County
Dear Members of the Board of Supervisors,
As residents of Orange County and as businesses and organizations which serve residents of Orange County, we are writing to express our grave concern with the loudly-voiced hateful rhetoric and your anti-immigrant decision at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.
Immigrants and refugees are a vital part of the social fabric of Orange County and deserve dignity and respect. With over three million residents, Orange County is home to the fourth largest foreign-born population in the United States. Immigrants now constitute over one-third of Orange County’s total population and are also the county’s fastest growing populations.
Immigrants and refugees have been at the forefront of significant social, political and cultural changes that have made Orange County such a diverse and exciting region. The contributions from immigrant workers in Orange County’s construction, restaurant, and tourism industries are immeasurable. Immigrant residents of Orange County have also launched prominent national and global businesses and contributed approximately $2.2 billion annually in state and local income taxes and approximately $5.9 billion annually in total income taxes.
As organizations that are dedicated to providing legal, health care, social, and other critical assistance to immigrant and refugee communities throughout the county, we are extremely alarmed by the openly hateful and anti-immigrant rhetoric expressed by members of the public in attendance at the Board of Supervisors meeting. This included threats of deportation and blatant harassment of individual speakers who shared emotional stories about themselves and their family members. Even more alarming was the lack of condemnation from any of the members of the Board of Supervisors present.
We are deeply dismayed by this permissive attitude towards hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric and by your unanimous decision to reject valid and binding existing state law, the California Values Act (SB54). Your failure to condemn the hateful comments against immigrants is exacerbated by your recent decision to join the lawsuit by Attorney General Jeff Sessions against California. As you can see from the undersigned organizations and individuals of this letter, these anti-immigrant decisions do not represent the values of Orange County residents.
We will monitor your actions to ensure compliance with California law, including the California Values Act, and U.S. Constitutional protections that apply to all Orange County residents, regardless of immigration status. And we will hold you accountable to all your constituents - many of whom are immigrants.
We demand that you condemn the hateful attacks leveled against those of immigrant backgrounds at your March 27th public hearing and urge you to assert your refusal to tolerate such conduct at future public hearings. We also demand that you stand up for Orange County’s immigrant families by rejecting policies and actions which aim to separate families and to attack immigrant communities.
Sincerely,
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Thank You
It's important that we demand the Orange County Board of Supervisors stand up for the County's immigrant families. Immigrants and refugees are a vital part of the social fabric of Orange County and deserve dignity and respect. With over three million residents, Orange County is home to the fourth largest foreign-born population in the United States. Immigrants now constitute over one-third of Orange County’s total population and are also the county’s fastest growing populations.
Share this petition with your friends and family. We cannot allow this attack on immigrant communities.