HJ0103 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0103 LRB094 19681 RLC 56180 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On December 16th 2005, the United States House of Representatives passed HR4437, a bill that would have drastic consequences for nearly all immigrants to this country and their families; and

WHEREAS, HR4437, which passed the House by a vote of 239 to 182, would require the mandatory detention of all immigrants without status until deportation, which could result in vulnerable groups, such as children and torture survivors, being jailed with hardened criminals; and

WHEREAS, HR4437 would make "unlawful presence" a crime and an aggravated felony for immigration purposes, barring undocumented immigrants from any future legal status and authorizing local law enforcement to arrest these immigrants; and

WHEREAS, HR4437 denies basic due process protections to legal immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers such as by authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to deny an immigrant legal benefits for lack of good moral character based on a "discretionary finding or other reasons"; and

WHEREAS, HR4437 creates strong criminal penalties for any person or organization that assists persons without documentation in the United States if the assistance is given "in reckless disregard" of whether that person is without legal status, but does not exempt emergency situations or situations in which a humanitarian organization provides basic needs assistance; and

WHEREAS, This punitive legislation would do little to solve immigration problems in this country and in fact would make them worse by driving illegal immigration further underground; and

WHEREAS, It is expected that the United States Senate will consider this mean-spirited and counterproductive legislation in March of this year; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we, the Governor, and members of the Illinois General Assembly do hereby urge the United States Senate to defeat HR4437 when that body considers the legislation later this year, and do hereby urge the President of the United States to veto such legislation if it is in fact approved by the Senate; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.