Dave Nyczepir

TDS

Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez unveiled an immigration resolution Friday at Coachella City Hall that he plans to introduce for California to meet the humanitarian challenges faced with tens of thousands of unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S. border.

The Coachella Democrat just returned from a trip to Central America with national leaders, where immigration, infrastructure, climate change, and energy policy were discussed, among other issues.

He'll travel with Gov. Jerry Brown and a delegation of state legislators and officials next week to Mexico City, Mexico, on a similar trade and investment mission with their government and business leaders.

"The state of California can be helpful symbolically with a resolution ensuring we talk about the fact that the people who are coming are youth and single mothers and how we need to be treating them with dignity and respect," Pérez said.

"They need due process, and if they are found to face a threat should they be returned to their home country, they should be seen and identified as refugees."

While abroad, Pérez learned criminal gangs of coyotes, or immigrant smugglers, in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador spread rumors via social media — exploiting people with promises of safe passage to the U.S., where they'll become automatic citizens and have help locating their families.

Other immigrants are told they have three chances to cross the border successfully.

"My grandparents migrated to this country as braseros, as young adults. Their story and countless stories of other families can be heard here and seen here in the beautiful city of Coachella," Councilman Steven Hernandez said.

"Recently, we were reminded through children and babies how alive and well the American dream is."

On July 2, protesters began blocking buses filled with hundreds of undocumented women and children headed for Murrieta as U.S. Customs and Border Protection attempted to alleviate overcrowding at facilities in Texas' Rio Grande Valley.

The area has seen an unprecedented spike in illegal crossings since October, many perpetrated by immigrants fleeing violence in Central America.

Pérez said he always felt safe and never saw violence while visiting Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala, but he sensed a difference in the latter when it came to political corruption.

Despite the existence of political parties, 25 families run Guatemala's economy and governmental structures, Pérez said, their influence trickling down to criminal gangs.

Leadership in the countries Pérez visited accept the fact they need to do a better job of alleviating poverty, increasing public safety and upholding democracy, he said.

Following Pérez's visit, El Salvador's legislature passed a money laundering bill on July 16 hoping to meet the U.S. Treasury's demand for tighter financial reporting, before $277 million in economic assistance is released over five years by the Millennium Challenge Corp.

The money will be spent on vocational education for 1 million El Salvadorian youth, infrastructure and business grants — meant to curtail gangs.

President Barack Obama met with the newly-elected El Salvadorian President Salvador Sánchez Cerén on Friday afternoon, along with other Central American leaders.

Pérez also wants to see $3.8 billion allocated to the U.S. Department of Justice and Border Patrol for health and human services for immigrants along the border, as well as court access and due process for the undocumented.

Following his resolution, Pérez said legislation is being discussed to improve border infrastructure and boost the economy there, while stemming the flow of immigrants.

Another bill would propose the Governor's Task Force on Immigrant Integration, bringing Californian department and agency leaders together to provide feedback on immigrant integration to the federal government, which is the only authority that can set laws regarding pathways to citizenship and border security.

Pérez said he'd continue to work with state and local leaders on immigration issues, particularly his successor even after he leaves office later this year.

"The issue of immigration is longstanding, even before I ran for office, and will continue to be afterward," Pérez said. "People have not seen the last of me, and I just want to make sure that I finish strong."