On Tuesday, June 6, residents of National City called for action from their City Council in defense of the local immigrant population.
Over 70 people from the community and several human rights organizations gathered outside City Hall for a rally in favor of a resolution to take up better immigration practices.
The attendees also demanded that the City endorse California Senate Bill 54, also known as the California Values Act, which would prohibit law enforcement throughout California from using municipal and State resources for immigration related duties.
The rally was lead by the four children of Francisco and Rosenda Duarte, two National City residents who were detained up by Border Patrol on the morning of May 22.
“There is so much that the City could do to help protect immigrant families. What happened to my family is not an isolated incident, there are many other families who live in fear because they know this might happen to them,” said 19-year-old Francisco Duarte Jr., a student at San Diego City College and the oldest of the Duarte siblings. “We need our leaders to step up and push forward a resolution to help keep other families from being separated.”
“It is urgent, it is necessary, and it is the right thing to do,” Duarte Jr. added.
After the rally, attendees packed into City Hall for the evening’s scheduled City Council meeting.
Several of the attendees filled out public comment cards in order to air their grievances and express support for a full Welcoming City resolution during the meeting’s open comments segment.
In February, National City adopted an amended version of the Welcoming City resolution, which, due to the changes made by Mayor Ron Morrison, fails to fully protect immigrant communities living in National City.
The Mayor’s version of the proclamation differed from the one presented to the public on the agenda, leading to a lawsuit from San Diegans for Open Government and action through the Brown Act.
The National City City Council will hold a special meeting on June 19 to redo the proclamation without discrepancies in the language.
