Res No 044-13-13862RESOLUTION NO. 4 4 -13 -13 8 6 2
A Resolution adding to and expanding on the elements of comprehensive
immigration reform that the Miami -Dade County Commission supported in
R408442; urging the United States Congress to enact legislation
modernizing the immigration system during the 113`" Congress based on
specified principles; supporting the agreement on a framework for
comprehensive immigration reform recently proposed by a bipartisan group
of United States Senators
WHEREAS, on December 18, 2012, the Miami -Dade County Commission ( "the
Board ") adopted Resolution No. R- 1084 -12, the co -prime sponsors of which were
Commissioners Dennis C. Moss and Jean Monestime, which urged President Barack Obama
and the United States Congress to support and enact comprehensive immigration reform during
the 113th Congress; and
WHEREAS, the Board in R- 1084 -12 supported the passage of comprehensive
immigration reform during the 113th Congress that would include:
1. Strengthening border security,
2. Imposing penalties for employers that hire undocumented workers and
3. Providing a pathway for illegal immigrants already in the United States to gain
citizenship; and
WHEREAS, the Board would like to add to and expand on the elements of
comprehensive immigration reform that it supported in R- 1084 -12 by further supporting the
immigration reform proposals being advanced by the Partnership for a New American Economy;
and
WHEREAS, the Board found that the Partnership for a New American Economy is a
bipartisan group of mayors and other elected officials from across the country and business
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leaders from all sectors of the economy and all 50 states to raise awareness of the economic
benefits of sensible immigration reform; and
WHEREAS, the Board found that the Partnership for a New American Economy has
offered five principles that they consider to be essential to a modem immigration system as the
113th Congress takes up the issue of immigration reform:
L Attracting and retaining the world's top innovators and entrepreneurs,
including:
a. Granting visas to scientists, technology graduates, engineers,
mathematicians, and other innovators, especially those who train at top
universities in the United States;
b. Creating a "Startup Visa" for entrepreneurs who want to come to the United
States, start businesses and hire United States workers, especially if they
have investors in the United States to back their ideas;
C, Expanding the use of the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as the
EB -5 investor visa, to draw more foreign direct investment into the United
States to spur business growth;
2. Recruiting talented workers needed to fill gaps in high- and low - skilled
sectors of the economy by:
a. Removing rigid quotas for high- and low- skilled workers and replacing
them with flexible visa allotments that respond to changes in workforce
need;
b. Creating a viable guest worker program so that technology companies,
farms, hotels, and other industries can more easily find temporary workers
to fill specific employment needs;
C, Expanding the number of employment -based visas that are issued each year
beyond the currently 7 percent of all green cards that are currently given each
year for employment based reasons;
3. Bringing the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants into the legal
economy so they can pay taxes, attain better education, and contribute more
to US economic growth by:
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a. Providing a path to work legally, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy
for undocumented workers in the country;
4. Developing a state- of-the -art system to ensure immigration laws are
enforced and obeyed by.
a. Monitoring who is in our country after they cross the border or land at port
of entry, as well as who leaves the United States;
b. Ensuring that workplaces obey the laws and only hire legal workers;
5. Ensuring that the immigration system is easy to understand, easy to navigate
and easy to implement by ensuring that.
a. Tourist and employment visa applicants interact with no more than one
agency to obtain a visa;
b. Employers who have successfully hired foreign workers in the past be
provided a fast track to processing rather than having to prove their
eligibility each and every time;
C, Visa applications are processed quickly and without undue expense; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission would like to add to and expand on the elements of
the comprehensive immigration reform that the County supported in R- 1084 -12 by
incorporating into the immigration proposals of the Partnership for a New American Economy
set forth above; and
WHEREAS, in addition, since the time that the Board passed R- 1084 -12, a group of
bipartisan Senators have reached agreement on a framework for comprehensive immigration
reform that largely matches the principles being advanced by the Partnership for a New
American Economy; and
WHEREAS, these Senators consist of Senators Charles Schumer (D — New York), John
McCain (R Arizona), Dick Durbin (D Illinois), Lindsey Graham (R — South Carolina), Bob
Menendez (D — New Jersey), Marco Rubio (R
and Jeff Flake (R — Arizona); and
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Florida), Michael Bennet (D — Colorado)
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WHEREAS, the Board found that this framework consists of the following four proposals:
1. Creating a tough but fair path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants
currently living in the United States that is contingent upon securing our borders
and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country'when required;
2. Reforming our legal immigration system to better recognize the importance of
characteristics that will help build the American economy and strengthen
American families;
3. Creating an effective employment verification system that will prevent identity
theft and end the hiring of future unauthorized workers;
4. Establishing an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our
nation's workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission would like to support the framework for immigration
reform this group of bipartisan Senators has proposed; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission would like to add the following recitals:
1. We believe in the human dignity of all Miami -Dade County residents,
regardless of immigration status; and
2. Countless people are lost in a federal immigration and detention system that
has become fundamentally broken and plagued by abuse; and
3. Record increases of deportations in recent years have tragically broken apart
loving families, with over 800,000 people deported in just two years, many of
them parents of United States citizen children, also causing thousands of those
children to be pushed into the foster care system at risk of permanent legal
separation from their parents; and
4. In the absence of federal legislative action on immigration, state legislative
proposals that are anti - immigrant and even unconstitutional have created a
persistent distraction from other important matters of governance in Florida
and many other states.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND THE CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The City of South Miami adopts, by reference, Miami -Dade County's R-
1084 -12 and adds to and expands on the elements of Miami -Dade County Commission's
comprehensive immigration reform the Miami -Dade County Commission supported in R -1084-
12 and urges the United States Congress to enact legislation modernizing the immigration system
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Res. No. 44 -13 -13862
during the 113th Congress that incorporates the following reforms as more fully set forth in the
whereas clauses above:
1. Attracting and retaining the world's top innovators and entrepreneurs;
2. Recruiting talented workers needed to fill gaps in high- and low- skilled sectors of
the economy;
3. Bringing the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants into the legal
economy so they can pay taxes, attain better education and contribute more to US
economic growth;
4. Developing a state -of -the -art system to ensure immigration laws are enforced and
obeyed; and
5. Ensuring that the immigration system is easy to understand, easy to navigate and
easy to implement.
Section 2. The City supports the framework for comprehensive immigration reform being
proposed by a bipartisan group of United State Senators as set forth in the whereas clauses
above.
Section 3. The City Clerk is hereby directed to transmit a certified copy of this resolution
to Senator Charles Schumer, Senator John McCain, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Lindsey
Graham, Senator Bob Menendez, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Michael Bennet, Senator Jeff
Flake, the Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation and the Secretary of the United
States Department of Homeland Security,
Section 4. The City's lobbyist is hereby directed to advocate for the action set forth in
Sections 1 and 2 above, and to advocate that the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs include this
item in the 2013 and 2014 Federal Legislative Packages.
Section 5. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for
any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 6. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon
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Res, No.
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adoption by vote of the City Commission,
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 5th day of March
ATTEST:
h _: a G 4
, CI Y CLERk' y
APPROVED:
MAYOR
2013,
ORM, COMMISSION VOTE:
Mayor Stoddard:
Vice Mayor Liebman:
Commissioner Newman:
Commissioner Harris:
Commissioner Welsh:
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Yea
Yea
Yea
Yea
Yea