HR0318 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0318 LRB102 18532 MST 26764 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois is home to a large immigrant community that has contributed tremendously to our State; in 2018, 1.8 million immigrants comprised 14 percent of the population of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the last year, the immigrant community has been on the front lines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, making up a large portion of the essential workforce as the country and the State went into a lockdown; and

WHEREAS, Nearly six million essential immigrant workers in the United States are uncertain about their future ability to reside in the country; some individuals are employed as U.S. temporary workers, while others have a protected status, and still others do not have documentation of lawful immigration status; and

WHEREAS, A large population of undocumented immigrants has lived in the U.S. for more than a decade and are caregivers for children who are U.S. citizens; in 2017, approximately 5.9 million children who are U.S. citizens had at least one caregiver who did not have legal status in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, One in seven State residents is an immigrant, more than one in six workers is an immigrant, and close to one-third of all business owners in the Chicago metro area are immigrants; and

WHEREAS, The immigrant community has contributed significantly to Illinois in many ways, including the community's contribution to the State's economy; in 2018, immigrant-led households in the State paid $12.7 billion in federal taxes and $7.7 billion in state and local taxes; 137,907 immigrant business owners accounted for 23 percent of all self-employed residents and generated $2.8 billion in business income; and

WHEREAS, The effects of immigration enforcement actions are felt by the individual, their family, and the larger community; it is undisputed that the separation of a child from a parent due to immigration enforcement action is associated with economic hardship, housing instability, and food insecurity; in addition, following an immigration enforcement action against a family member, children have demonstrated numerous emotional and behavioral challenges, even if the children are reunited with the family member at a later point; and

WHEREAS, Historically, U.S. policies have deeply impacted the stability, economic conditions, and violence in countries from which many immigrants originally migrated to build a home in this country and this State; and

WHEREAS, The immigrant community and its allies have continuously fought to advance human rights and protections for individuals living in the U.S. who live in constant fear of law enforcement and cruel immigration enforcement actions; and

WHEREAS, It has been decades since the enactment of any major reform to our nation's immigration laws; this inertia has deeply impacted immigrant communities, as demonstrated by the continuous harsh ICE enforcement actions and separation of families; in 2019 for example, ICE carried out 226,000 deportations; and

WHEREAS, Congress has debated numerous immigration reforms over the last two decades without great success, which has led the courts and the executive branch to take some temporary measures to address certain aspects of this nation's immigration law; and

WHEREAS, There is significant public support for the reformation of our country's immigration laws and the advancement of immigrant rights in the U.S. and Illinois; 81 percent of Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; and

WHEREAS, There are currently several bills before Congress that will help advance the rights and protections for the immigrant community in the United States, including HR1435 American Right to Family Act, HR536 New Way Forward Act, HR1537 Farmworker Modernization Act of 2021, HR6 Dream & Promise Act, HR161 Venezuelan TPS Act of 2021, HR530 REUNITE Act, HR1177 U.S. Citizenship Act, S264 DREAM Act of 2021, and S291 National Office of New Americans Act; and

WHEREAS, These bills currently before Congress present an opportunity for our nation to take the necessary action to move our country forward and recognize the human rights of the immigrant community in our country and State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the U.S. Congress to take action in passing the necessary legislation to advance the human rights and protections of the immigrant community in the United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.