Full Text of SR1913 99th General Assembly
SR1913 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, There are a significant number of non-citizen | 3 | | veterans of foreign wars, including World War II, the Korean | 4 | | War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the | 5 | | Afghanistan War, who have been removed from the United States; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, When these veterans returned to civilian life | 8 | | without appropriate support in reintegration, both | 9 | | psychologically and economically, they fell into addictions | 10 | | and criminal activities, were arrested and, due to their | 11 | | non-citizen resident status, were deported; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Many of these veterans live in terrible and abject | 13 | | conditions after having served in the Armed Forces of the | 14 | | United States; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Several of these veterans have asked for support | 16 | | in obtaining reentry into the United States to be with their | 17 | | families and United States citizen children; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Non-citizens compose a significant portion of the | 19 | | Armed Forces, enlisting more than 8,000 persons annually; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, According to the Department of Defense, more than |
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| 1 | | 65,000 non-citizen immigrants were serving in the United States | 2 | | Armed Forces as of 2008, accounting for at least 5% of the | 3 | | total active-duty personnel; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The Immigration Reform Act of 1996 broadened the | 5 | | criteria for removable offenses to include shoplifting, | 6 | | misdemeanor drug offenses, and other minor offenses, allowing | 7 | | the Department of Homeland Security to quietly deport veterans | 8 | | who have fallen on hard times; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, According to Banished Veterans, a support group | 10 | | for deported veterans, there are currently 3,000 veterans in | 11 | | immigration detention centers or in removal proceedings at any | 12 | | given time; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Veterans that have been deported do not have | 14 | | access to Veterans Affairs benefits or other benefits designed | 15 | | for veterans; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The nation owes these veterans adequate support | 17 | | and rehabilitation equal to that of veterans with full | 18 | | citizenship; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, After having served time for their crimes in the | 20 | | criminal justice system, non-citizen veterans are almost | 21 | | immediately dropped at the doorsteps of their country of birth |
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| 1 | | with no resources, no contacts and, at times, no knowledge of | 2 | | the language, resulting in compounded punishment; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, These valiant veterans are solely allowed reentry | 4 | | into the United States posthumously for their burial in a | 5 | | United States military cemetery; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Members of the United States Congress are calling | 7 | | for an end to the deportation of non-citizen military veterans | 8 | | and United States Representative Ruben Gallego has introduced | 9 | | H.R. 5012, the Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in | 10 | | Uniform Act; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in | 12 | | Uniform Act urges the Department of Homeland Security to | 13 | | readmit veterans who have been deported and have not committed | 14 | | a serious crime, therefore reuniting deported veterans with | 15 | | their families; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in | 17 | | Uniform Act prevents the deportation of veterans who have | 18 | | served in the military at least six months and have not | 19 | | committed a felony or significant misdemeanor; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois recognizes the importance | 21 | | and need for equitable treatment of veterans; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support the | 3 | | Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in Uniform Act and urge | 4 | | the members of the United States Congress to pass H.R. 5012; | 5 | | and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 7 | | delivered to the members of the Illinois congressional | 8 | | delegation.
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