As the Oct. 5 deadline for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to renew quickly approaches, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to request the deadline be extended.
The board voted unanimously to send a letter to President Donald Trump, Senate and House leadership and the county’s Congressional Delegation to push the deadline back 90 days.
The motion, written by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, claims Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and the earthquake in Mexico have disrupted life for individuals across the United States since many were displaced and lost loved ones and jobs.
“The October 5 deadline may prove impossible to meet for individuals impacted by hurricanes and the earthquake,” the supervisors wrote in the motion.
In the past, Barger has said she is “supportive” of the DACA program, but it was meant as a “temporary stopgap measure” that would eventually be replaced by permanent reform.
“We must be at the forefront of this issue through proactive participation and unite the county in our pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform, the real solution,” Barger said in a statement in September.
The fifth district supervisor has called for comprehensive immigration reform in the past and said ending DACA is a call for Congress to act.
Barger voted in favor of the motion on Tuesday because she thinks it will take longer to make immigration reform decisions, according to her Communications Deputy Tony Bell.
“It looks like Congress will need more time and this allows them to do that,” Bell said.
On Sept. 12, supervisors voted unanimously to make immigration one of L.A. County’s “key priorities” and to continue outreach and support for DACA recipients.
While Barger voted in favor of those, she voted against a motion to support litigation filed by California to oppose rescinding DACA. Also, she opposed a motion to impose a one-year restriction on most county travel to the nine states who proposed legal action to end DACA.
