Urges San Diegans to Welcome New Immigrants and Refugees
By Terra Lawson-Remer
SAN DIEGO — Three of my great-grandparents fled to the U.S. one hundred years ago, escaping torture and mass killings against Jews in Ukraine, Lithuania, and Austria-Hungary. Some of their relatives stayed behind and did not survive, but my great-grandparents arrived penniless on Ellis Island to find a better life.
My great-grandmother worked in a dress factory, a sweatshop very much like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. They worked hard to build opportunity slowly, generation by generation. My grandmother cried when she found out that I got into Yale. She could not believe that the great-granddaughter of persecuted and outcast Jews, who arrived here with nothing but the clothes on their backs, could be admitted to one of the most elite universities in the world.
Our nation was founded by the dreams and sweat of immigrants, fleeing persecution and seeking a new start. The promise that all people are created equal, that all people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is what makes America unique in the world.
This promise has always been aspirational. It has never been fully realized. America was built also on the expropriation of land from Native Americans, and the expropriation of labor and life from people from the African Diaspora. The gap between the promise and the reality, and the long arc of work to close that gap, is the central thread of American history.
As your County Supervisor, I am committed to working towards making the promise of America’s values a reality. I am committed to ensuring San Diego County is a place that welcomes immigrants and refugees, and allows them to thrive. And as an attorney, I know the difference having a lawyer can play in our immigration system.
Our office is convening a Virtual Forum: Legal Representation for All on April 26th at 6:00pm to hear from members of our community who have been impacted by deportation/removal proceedings — and what we can do to ensure people’s rights are protected with legal representation. We are proud to co-sponsor this forum with the Invest in San Diego Families (ISDF) Coalition.
We will be joined by Raha Jorjani (Alameda County Public Defenders), Monika Langarica (ACLU San Diego), among other speakers.
I look forward to seeing you on Monday, April 26th at 6:00pm via Zoom. Please RSVP to receive the log-in information. Click HERE to RSVP and submit your questions.
Protecting immigrants’ rights and the basic principles and values of our country will require the active commitment of our entire community, so please consider forwarding this invitation to a friend.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or if our office can be of any assistance, please reach out to our team by emailing Cipriano Vargas at cipriano.vargas@sdcounty.ca.gov.
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Terra Lawson-Remer is a San Diego County Supervisor representing the 3rd Supervisorial District.