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RESOLUTION URGING THE MAYOR AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO SUPPORT EFFORTS IN TONGA TO CHANGE LAWS RESTRICTING RIGHTS OF TONGAN NATIONALS WHO OBTAIN US CITIZENSHIP.
WHEREAS, The United States encourages residents of the United States to naturalize in the United States in order that they may enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of United States citizens; and,
WHEREAS, One of the most important rights of US citizenship is the right to vote in the United States and thus participate fully in our democracy; and,
WHEREAS, Immigrants who are able to vote have a voice in shaping the law and policy which governs their lives in the United States, and particularly in the City and County of San Francisco; and,
WHEREAS, The City and County of San Francisco is home to thousands of refugees and immigrants; and,
WHEREAS, US Citizens with immediate family who are foreign nationals gain a tremendous advantage in being able to assist them with immigration, including providing them with the immediate right to permanent residence, the right to work, the right to own property, and the right to an education in the United States; and,
WHEREAS, Foreign born immediate relatives of non-US citizen permanent residents must wait many years before they can become legal residents. During this time those present in the US are unable to work legally, and have very limited access to many services such as education and medical services. Their lives are often extremely difficult, they are unable to advance economically; and,
WHEREAS, Stripping Tongan nationals of citizenship and rights in their countries of origin has a chilling effect on applications for U.S. citizenship, because Tongan nationals gain the significant advantages of U.S. citizenship only at the expense of losing many rights in Tonga; and
WHEREAS, Allowing the retention of citizenship and rights in ones homeland will eliminate the need to make this difficult choice, and allows immigrant communities to take advantage of the benefits of U.S. citizenship without forcing them to give up precious ties to their homelands; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission strongly supports efforts to facilitate applications for US citizenship without the loss of property and rights in one's country of origin; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to support efforts in Tonga to change laws restricting the rights Tongan nationals who become US citizens.
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