(Sacramento) After a robust discussion on the Assembly floor this morning, HR 66 was adopted, which condemns President Trump for eliminating DACA, and calls upon the Congress of the United States to take affirmative steps toward development of a bipartisan and more effective version of DACA that provides a pathway to citizenship.
“When we as a nation sit quietly by and let immigrants be banned from our country because of their religious beliefs, or let people of one nationality be referred to as rapists and thieves, or let young dreamers, who have lived here the majority of their lives be denied the American dream, then we are failing to protect the very beliefs by which this country was founded,” said Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer, a co-author of HR 66.
“This is the reason that the words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” can be found on a plaque mounted on the Statue of Liberty, which was and still is a symbol of hope and freedom to immigrants coming to America in search of a brighter future. We must now ask ourselves what is the difference between those original immigrants and the majority of those who we were protecting under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act: is it the color of their skin?”
“As the nephew of one of the original “Little Rock Nine,” who fought to remove the stigma of separate but unequal, which has stained the history of race relations in America, I am personally invested in making sure that the immigrant policy of the United States does not become another stain on our history.”
Join Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer and the other co-authors of HR 66 and demand that Congress re-instate DACA.
Serving as the voice of the people of California's 59th District in the State Assembly, Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr. was elected to the State Legislature in November 2012 and re-elected in 2014. The district he represents encompasses a wide-range of diverse, culturally rich and dynamic communities. It lies entirely within Los Angeles County and includes the neighborhoods of South Los Angeles, Florence-Firestone, Walnut Park, and a portion of Huntington Park.