SJ0057 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The current national immigration policy provides cruel and unusual punishment to immigrants with criminal convictions; and

WHEREAS, Convicted immigrants, even those found guilty of minor offenses, are being deported after they have paid their debt to society; and

WHEREAS, These individuals are being deprived of their families, their communities, and their country, often based on cases with inadequate evidence and an improper defense; and

WHEREAS, This is apparent in the case of Miguel Perez, who was a legal permanent resident and joined the Army after 9/11; he served two tours in Afghanistan with distinction and left the military with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and brain injury trauma; and

WHEREAS, Miguel Perez was caught in a drug sting and was convicted without proper representation; he was sentenced to a long term in a state penitentiary and was then taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation; he was held by ICE for one year pending his appeals and was then deported to Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Miguel Perez was eligible for Veterans Affairs (VA) health care but found there was no VA facility in Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Miguel Perez was only allowed to reenter the United States after he received a full pardon from Governor Pritzker; he has now achieved full U.S. citizenship; and

WHEREAS, The governors of New York and California have issued pardons on an expedited basis in approximately 30 cases in 2017; and

WHEREAS, ICE's aggressive actions can often be offset by pardons, but this requires expedited action to avoid deportation; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge Governor Pritzker to immediately establish a commission for expedited pardons associated with immigration-related action.