Los Angeles is ending its requirement for employers to provide proof of citizenship in order to hold government positions.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to allow non-citizens to work for certain government jobs.
- “Los Angeles County is a community of immigrants from each corner of the world,” Chair Hilda I. Solis said. “And while our County-government workforce reflects the community it represents, there is room for improvement.”
- According to Solis and co-author Sheila Suehl, the new policy seeks to better represent the “community” in the city’s governing body.
- “This motion seeks to make clear that the County, as one of the largest employers in the region, strives to be an inclusive and diverse workforce, and is committed to not excluding nor allowing citizenship to be a barrier to employment,” they said.
- Los Angeles County Public Defender, Ricardo Garcia, said that not allowing illegal immigrants to work for city government is discriminatory and against their principles.
- “Barriers to employment based on cultural, racial, ethnic, or religious characteristics are contrary to our core values,” Garcia said. “This motion, by Supervisors Solis and Kuehl, will promote equity in hiring and give the Public Defender’s Office access to the most qualified applicants for employment, irrespective of their citizenship status.”
- Solis said that an estimated 880,000 illegals live in Los Angeles and the county had received applications from people who are allowed to practice law but disqualified because of the citizenship requirement.
LA COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER RICARDO GARCIA ON ALLOWING NON-CITIZENS TO WORK IN GOVERNMENT:
“An immigrant’s experience will advance our vision, mission, and values to protect our clients’ legal and human rights and enable us to more readily realize my goal that our employees fully represent the demographics of the population that we serve,” SAID GARCIA.
BACKGROUND:
- California Democrats in the House last month introduced a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for immigration papers after seven years in the country.
- The legislation would change a line in the Immigration and Nationality Act known as the “registry,” which allows new people to apply every year.
- To qualify, immigrants have to show they have not been convicted of crimes in any of several categories, have resided in the U.S. continuously since they entered, and have been people of good moral character.
