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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, For nearly two decades, the U.S. Congress has time
3and time again failed to pass the Dream Act or comprehensive
4immigration reform that would protect and empower individuals
5who were brought into the United States illegally as minors;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 2011, the State of Illinois took matters into
8their own hands and enacted the Illinois Dream Act, which
9granted in-state tuition and access to privately funded
10scholarships to undocumented young people who, among other
11things, had received a high school diploma or equivalent in the
12State; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 2015, after yet another failure by Congress to
14pass comprehensive immigration reform, former President Barack
15Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
16program to temporarily shield these so called DREAMers from
17deportation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The DACA program has allowed over 800,000 young
19people, of which 42,376 are Illinois residents, the ability to
20fundamentally enrich the social and cultural character of the
21State of Illinois and, thus, of our nation; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, A 2016 report by the Center for American Progress
2found that more than 60% of DACA recipients achieved financial
3independence, and 61% reported helping their families; in
4addition, DACA recipients reported increased earnings by an
5average of 42%, and 70% of those in school with DACA are
6pursuing a bachelor's degree or higher; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Despite these contributions to our society, on
8September 5, 2017, President Donald Trump and Attorney General
9Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Deferred Action for
10Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Although the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has
12since blocked the Trump Administration's immoral decision to
13end the DACA program, it is imperative that Congress acts to
14protect the inherent worth of each of the 800,000 talented
15young Americans whose livelihood hangs by a thread; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois values and respects the
17inherent worth of every person, regardless of their immigration
18status; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Federal legislation to protect DREAMers, placing
20all of the potentially immediately eligible workers on a path
21to legal status, would add a total of $281 billion over 10
22years to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP); therefore, be

 

 

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2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
4SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we call on the One Hundred
5Sixteenth United States Congress to uphold our country's
6founding values by passing the Dream Act, given that the
7unwavering perseverance and resilience of immigrants have
8helped make the United States of America a beacon of diversity,
9inclusivity, and opportunity; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
11delivered to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United
12States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority
13Leader of the United States Senate, United States Senator
14Richard J. Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, the chair of the
15Congressional Hispanic Caucus, all members of the Illinois
16Congressional Delegation, and the President of the United
17States.