Mayor Garcia is expected to address a Congressional hearing on the up to 1,000 migrant children, mostly girls and some as young as 3 years old, detained in Long Beach.
NEWS Mayor Robert Garcia is scheduled to speak at a Congressional hearing this Tuesday April 27th. Garcia is the first openly gay mayor of Long Beach and is serving his second term in office.
According to political insiders speaking on condition of anonymity, Garcia will speak at a Congressional hearing tomorrow around 2pm.
This comes only days after the City of Long Beach entered a $35 Million contract with the Federal Government to shelter and detain migrant children inside the Long Beach Convention Center.
While insiders tell TheMemo the Mayor will speak about the migrant children being detained in Long Beach, the Mayor's office has not confirmed. Long Beach residents and the world will have to wait until tomorrow to learn what the Mayor will say to the House.
The last time Mayor Garcia was scheduled for the national spotlight there was quite the local media buzz. Local outlets mistakenly reported that Garcia would deliver a speech at last year's 2020 Democratic Convention. As the date neared, what was reported as a speech was downgraded as a "role" in the Convention. Ultimately Mayor Garcia played one of the shortest roles in a chorus of almost two dozen prerecorded rising stars in the Democratic party.
After President Biden was elected, again media reports that Garcia was on a short list for cabinet positions never materialized. Even the California Governor passed on Garcia for an open Senate seat and other vacancies.
Managing expectations, it makes sense that the Mayor's office is tight lipped about tomorrow's Congressional hearing.
If Mayor Garcia does address the House tomorrow insiders expect that he will continue messaging on how Long Beach is honored to play what he has billed as an "humanitarian" role in the immigration crisis related to children being smuggled and abandoned at our Southern border.
While most Long Beach residents support sheltering migrant youth in the Convention Center as opposed to having them detained in cramped cages, Mayor Garcia's approach has faced criticism for being less than democratic.
When the matter was first brought before City Council for a vote on April 6th, Mayor Garcia was criticized for having packed the already limited time for public comment with friends, supporters and even family members.
Immigration rights activists urged the Mayor to require some level of accountability before agreeing to detain children as young as 3 years of age in the Convention Center. Garcia failed to establish any oversight function despite growing national outrage of mistreatment and inhumane conditions.
Minority news outlets requested press access to tour the facility before it opened. Mayor Garcia restricted access to all press and City staff emailed a 9pm notice of the next-day press event. The email included an unreasonable stipulation that only those members of the press who RSVP'd by 7am the following morning would be granted access.
Two minority owned outlets were excluded all together.
It wasn't only the press that has been given the could shoulder. So have local community members trying to do their part for the up to 1,000 migrant children expected to be detained in Long Beach.
Lola's is a local Mexican cuisine restaurant. When the Mayor told the public that they could donate things such as food and beverages Lola's began raising funds from community members. They hoped to help feed the Latin American children soon to arrive at our City's doorstep.
After raising as much as $5,000 they were told that they could not feed migrant children their Mexican cuisine because of existing vendors and contracts. Resilient, Lola's has since contributed all proceeds to a fund to help with clothing and supplies.
What has our immigrant community on a razors edge is that in the compromise to enter into the $35 Million contract to detain migrant children in the Convention Center, Garcia and Council members made a controversial move to suspend portions the Long Beach Values Act. This law prevents local police from turning over information gathered on immigrants to ICE.
Some residents question how foreseeable it will be to reunite migrant children with their families now that portions of the Long Beach Values Act is suspended. Long Beach police Chief Luna has sense given assurances that immigrants need not worry.
However, both the Mayor and the Chief of Police have lost significant public trust from black and brown communities since their botched handling of George Floyd protests that left the City boarded up, subject to curfew and under the watchful eye of the National Guard.
Between limiting free speech, excluding free press, lifting legal protections to immigrants and breaking promises for community engagement residents are understandably frustrated.
Others are hopeful that with time the facility will be more open to giving community members an opportunity to show the level of care they have for migrant kids in need.
It's within this context that Mayor Garcia takes the stage to the House to address members of Congress. All eyes are on our local leader that he best reflect our City before the nation.
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