L.A. Supervisors Create Task Force to Aid Illegal Immigrants

While 26 states file suit to block President Obama’s executive amnesty action to grant legal status and work authorization to millions of illegals immigrants, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of a task force to help assist them gain access to the deferred action program.

The task force, which received a 4-1 vote, will help nearly half a million L.A. County illegal aliens gain access to work permits. Many of California cities have come out in support of the deferred deportation action. The Los Angeles Times reported that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti went so far as filing a friend of the court brief in the Texas case, which obtained an injunction against Obama’s executive action for exceeding his legal authority.

Garcetti plans to raise $10 million to help over 100,000 immigrants in the L.A. area with their applications. The city initiated  a campaign to aid illegal aliens with their applications called Step Forward L.A..

Garcetti’s encouragement of amnesty for illegals may be motivated by a study from UCLA’s North American Integration and Development Center. They found that L.A. County would reap an additional $1.1 billion in tax revenue.

The board of Supervisors and Garcetti are joined in their enthusiasm for Obama’s executive action by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.  Tuesday Chamber representative David Rattray, speaking to labor and religious leaders at a news conference, exclaimed, “When you see something that’s good for people and good for the economy, you have to go for it.”

Newly elected Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl wrote up the task force motion. They indicated that the county could spread the word for the deferred deportation program by posting information about it in libraries and parks. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, also a proponent of the executive amnesty, insists that it is an “opportunity to telegraph to the nation that we get it.”

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich was the only one who voted against the task force creation. The Times reported that  he argued that it was premature for the county to move forward with the plan until present challenges to the controversial action are resolved.