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HOUSE RESOLUTION 81

 
2    WHEREAS, In 2022, a significant number of migrants arrived
3at the southern U.S. border seeking asylum within the United
4States and were authorized to enter as non-citizens for urgent
5humanitarian reasons; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Governor of Texas and other elected officials
7began placing asylum-seeking individuals onto chartered buses
8and sending them to American cities, including Washington,
9D.C., New York City, and Chicago, without any communication to
10officials in those cities as to the timing of bus arrivals or
11the condition or number of those expected to arrive; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The City of Chicago, Cook County, and State of
13Illinois constructed an operation to welcome those
14asylum-seeking individuals arriving in the City of Chicago and
15to provide shelter, clothing, meals, legal services,
16healthcare, and other essential services after their long
17journey; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Unlike certain populations of recent immigrants,
19including those from Ukraine and Afghanistan, the asylum
20seekers arriving in Chicago, New York City, and Washington,
21D.C. were not eligible for certain immigration remedies under
22federal immigration law and are therefore not eligible to

 

 

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1apply for employment authorization documents allowing them to
2obtain legal employment within the United States for at least
3six months after arrival; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Business, civic, and social organizations seek to
5support these families and assist them in seeking employment
6and becoming self-sufficient; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The asylum seekers arriving in Illinois and
8across the United States are eager to work and to provide for
9themselves and their families; therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
11HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12we urge the federal government to expand legal protections for
13asylum seekers without discriminating against those from the
14African diaspora and expedite authorization for them to join
15the workforce, provide for their families, and truly live the
16American dream; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we stand in support of policies that
18welcome and support immigrant communities across the United
19States and urge the federal government to act as swiftly as
20possible to modernize federal immigration law; and be it
21further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2delivered to the Illinois Congressional Delegation as a sign
3of our dedication to and support of this important issue.