With the president’s action potentially affecting up to 12,000 undocumented immigrants in San Francisco, and Mayor Ed Lee has authorized $500,000 in new funding for the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) to bolster citywide Administrative Relief actions.
Lee also pledged $600,000 to continue funding both the San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative and the DreamSF Initiative through 2019.
“As the son of immigrant parents, this issue is personal to me,” said Lee. “Most of the nation’s 12 million undocumented immigrants live in America’s cities, and so as mayors we must lead the way and provide all of our residents with hope, opportunities and the services they deserve.”
Lee on the same day joined US mayors in an immigration summit in New York City convened by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to discuss coordination and share best practices for the implementation of Obama’s executive order. The mayors also discussed strategies to push for comprehensive immigration reform.
San Francisco has long made substantial investments in promoting citizenship, providing access to city services for speakers of other languages and providing leadership on issues such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Unaccompanied Immigrant Children.
Immediately after Obama announced his executive action in November, Lee issued an Executive Directive to ensure the city’s full compliance with new Federal rules so that undocumented immigrants living in San Francisco would be among the first to benefit from federal and state programs in addition to local services already in place.
The city will provide outreach and education in appropriate languages to make sure people understand the process and know their rights, in a culturally competent manner. The City has already developed strong relationships with immigrant legal, social and community service providers, philanthropy, and a network of community-based partners.
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