HR0577enr 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0577 Enrolled LRB101 15056 MST 64133 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION 577

WHEREAS, On December 20, 2018, the Trump Administration announced the Migrant Protection Protocols, a policy that denies entry into the United States to refugees coming to the Southern border seeking protection from persecution, harm, and torture in their home countries; and

WHEREAS, Since that date, more than 52,000 persons, including adults and children, have been denied entry and forced to remain in Mexico, in very dangerous conditions, to await their court hearings that are sometimes many months away; and

WHEREAS, Refugees are being forced into squalid and inhumane conditions where they are living without clean or running water, without food or shelter, and without access to health care, diapers, and basic needs; and

WHEREAS, The Trump Administration's racist and inhumane actions, denying entry to the most vulnerable, have tragic life or death consequences; and

WHEREAS, Tent courts have been set up along the border, and refugees have no meaningful access to a fair hearing, due process, or legal counsel when forced to remain in Mexico; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is a welcoming state and has taken important steps to ensure that immigrants are safe, protected, and able to live with dignity and respect; and

WHEREAS, History has shown that executive decisions about immigration, refugees, and asylum seekers have life or death consequences that may go unrecognized for far too long; and

WHEREAS, Most of the refugees forced to wait in Mexico have family in the United States, including in Illinois, where they can live safely as they undergo their court proceedings; and

WHEREAS, The United States and the State of Illinois in particular have welcomed, supported, and protected people of all races, ethnicities, religions, and nationality, in compliance with human rights principles and domestic and international law; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn President Donald J. Trump's Migrant Protection Protocols denying entry to refugees at the Southern border and call on him to immediately rescind this abhorrent policy that is placing vulnerable people at further risk of harm, and we call on the U.S. Congress to put an end to the Migrant Protection Protocols by defunding the program in its upcoming budget vote before the end of this calendar year; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.