The Commission on Human Rights Supports the Migrant and Undocumented Communities in Sonoma County

The Commission on Human Rights reaffirms the principle that no human being is “illegal” or outside the protection of the law or exempt from receiving human rights. As defined by various immigration and ACLU organizations, the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights declares and reaffirms:

1. No Human Being is Illegal
2. Equality and Dignity before the Law
3. Right to Liberty and Security of Person
4. Protection of Family Unity
5. Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
6. Right to Due and Fair Process

Immigrants in the U.S often face xenophobia, racism, backlash and dehumanization due to their place of origin. The Commission on Human Rights stands behind people who have an immigrant or an undocumented status, no human is “illegal” or can be “alien” as global citizens.

Our commission stands in support of people who are undocumented or have a mixed-status family household. Immigrants rights are human rights, which is clearly defined within the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of a Child and by multiple human rights organizations like the ACLU.

The Commission on Human Rights condemns splitting families apart, detaining humans in detention camps and denying services to others due to their background/documentation status. We hold strongly that undocumented and documented individuals have the right to equality, security, liberty, freedom of expression, due process and to keep our families together. The Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights stands in solidarity and allyship with immigrant, first-generation and mixed-status families who live in fear of deportation or retaliation due to their background.

References

Hassan, Arabi, Lina McCormick-Morin, Marcos Montes, and Madeleine Villanueva. 2025. Review of Advising Undocumented Students and Mixed Status Families in CA. Presentation. Presented at the Immigrants Rising Workshop, March 14. https://immigrantsrising.org/wp-content/uploads/Advising-Undocumented-Students-and-Mixed-Status-Families.pdf

“Support for Immigrant Communities.” 2025. Sonoma County County Administrators of Office. 2025. https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/county-administrators-office/projects/support-for-immigrant-communities. 

Ofer, Udi. 2009. Review of Immigrants’ Rights Are Human Rights: Universal Guarantees of Rights to All People. Edited by Jennifer Carnig. Https://Www.nyclu.org/. New York: New York Civil Liberties Union. https://www.nyclu.org/report/immigrants-rights-are-human-rights-universal-guarantees-rights-all-people-2009. 

United Nations General Assembly. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). New York: United Nations General Assembly, 1948. 

United Nations General Assembly, Declaration of the Rights of the Child, A/RES/1386(XIV), UN General Assembly, 20 November 1959. 

Katrina Phillips

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Media contact:
Katrina Phillips
(213) 254-8870