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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The current national immigration policy provides
3cruel and unusual punishment to immigrants with criminal
4convictions; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Convicted immigrants, even those found guilty of
6minor offenses, are being deported after they have paid their
7debt to society; and
 
8    WHEREAS, These individuals are being deprived of their
9families, their communities, and their country, often based on
10cases with inadequate evidence and an improper defense; and
 
11    WHEREAS, This is apparent in the case of Miguel Perez, who
12was a legal permanent resident and joined the Army after 9/11;
13he served two tours in Afghanistan with distinction and left
14the military with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and
15brain injury trauma; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Miguel Perez was caught in a drug sting and was
17convicted without proper representation; he was sentenced to a
18long term in a state penitentiary and was then taken by
19Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation; he
20was held by ICE for one year pending his appeals and was then
21deported to Mexico; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Miguel Perez was eligible for Veterans Affairs
2(VA) health care but found there was no VA facility in Mexico;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, Miguel Perez was only allowed to reenter the
5United States after he received a full pardon from Governor
6Pritzker; he has now achieved full U.S. citizenship; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The governors of New York and California have
8issued pardons on an expedited basis in approximately 30 cases
9in 2017; and
 
10    WHEREAS, ICE's aggressive actions can often be offset by
11pardons, but this requires expedited action to avoid
12deportation; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
15CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge Governor Pritzker to
16immediately establish a commission for expedited pardons
17associated with immigration-related action.