HR0368 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0368 LRB097 11771 GRL 54928 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution clearly states that all persons born in the United States are citizens of the U.S. and the state in which they reside; and

WHEREAS, For over 100 years, the United States Supreme Court has upheld that citizenship be granted to all individuals born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parent's citizenship status; and

WHEREAS, A repeal of the 14th Amendment would have dire and costly effects on the State of Illinois, due to the creation of a lengthy bureaucratic process to confer U.S. citizenship; and

WHEREAS, Denying citizenship to certain U.S.-born children would create a permanent group of non-citizens and the potential for a stateless segment of the population; and

WHEREAS, Legislators have initiated a campaign to amend the United States Constitution in a way that undermines a pillar of U.S. civil rights; and

WHEREAS, The majority of immigrants come to this country to work or to reunite with family members already residing in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, The residents of the State of Illinois deserve real solutions to address the undocumented population present in our state, not costly political distractions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn divisive efforts to create two classes of citizens and to deny innocent children their constitutional right to U.S. citizenship through the repeal of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution or other measures; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we show our strong support for upholding the Constitution and its definition of citizenship.