PROCLAMATION

Immigrant Heritage Month is an opportunity to honor the rich histories of those who came before us and those who continue to make California home. Behind the immigrant journey is a story that deserves to be heard and honored, leaving behind the familiar to pursue the American dream, hoping to give the next generation a better life. Immigrants and their children have helped build the California we know today, through their hard work, innovation, and cultural contributions, and through the lives they have made here, the families they have raised, and the communities they have strengthened.

For many immigrants, resilience is not an abstract value. It is found in the parent who leaves for work before sunrise, the grandparents who crossed borders and oceans for a family they hoped would one day thrive, and the neighbor who keeps going despite fear, uncertainty, and hardships.

With immigration at the forefront of public and political discourse, we recognize that many immigrant communities are carrying fear and pain. Immigrant families and workers are being targeted, Californians’ legal statuses are being ripped away, and businesses are navigating disruption and increased unpredictability for their workforce and operations. Even through this uncertainty, Californians are not allowing themselves to be defined by those challenges. Neighbors are showing up for neighbors, reinforcing how much immigrant families are part of the fabric of our communities.

To love California is to love the generations of immigrants who have helped make this state more dynamic and more connected to the world. California is the global powerhouse it is today because of all those who call this state home—because of the immigrants who help fuel our economy, better understand one another, and remind us that the California Dream is worth striving for.

While the federal government is challenging who belongs and who doesn’t, in California, we embrace our immigrant communities because we know our diversity is our strength. Through the California Council on Immigrant Integration and Talent, we drive collaboration to leverage the diverse talents and assets of immigrant communities, helping more families secure good, family-supporting jobs, and supporting immigration-driven innovation and economic growth for the benefit of all Californians. California continues to take action to support immigrant families, workers, and entrepreneurs with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.

We call on the federal government to stop sabotaging due process and the legal immigration system, and for Congress to create a meaningful pathway to citizenship for those who have been here for years, paying their taxes, and being good members of our communities.

This month belongs to many communities whose stories, languages, traditions, and futures are now part of California’s own. We honor their histories, recognize their struggles, and appreciate their courage and resilience.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim June 2026, as “Immigrant Heritage Month.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 2nd day of June 2026.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State