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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The United States of America is a land of
3 opportunity where the "American Dream" is promised to all those
4 who work for it; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Educational achievement levels in neighborhoods
6 and schools predominantly of color throughout the State of
7 Illinois and the nation maintain at below-average levels; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Undocumented students are currently faced with
9 the grim reality that even if they were to graduate from a
10 college or university, their immigration status would impede
11 them from pursuing most types of professional-level work, for
12 which they studied; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Illinois Senator Richard Durbin was a lead
14 co-sponsor of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien
15 Minors (DREAM) Act in 2003 and the lead sponsor of S. 2075 in
16 2005; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Illinois Senator Barack Obama is a co-sponsor of
18 the 2005 DREAM Act; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich recently
20 recognized the importance of the immigrant community, of which
21 undocumented students make up a significant segment, by signing
22 into law the New Americans Immigrant Policy Council which seeks
23 to secure equal rights for immigrants throughout the State of
24 Illinois; and
 
25     WHEREAS, Approximately 65,000 undocumented students
26 graduate every year from high schools across the country while
27 facing the reality that they are not eligible for federal
28 student financial aid, a majority of public and private
29 scholarships, or study outside of the State due to their

 

 

HR0913 - 2 - LRB094 19411 DRJ 55644 r

1 immigration status; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Undocumented students are more likely to drop out
3 of high school before graduating because of their immigration
4 status and associated barriers to higher education; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The economic and societal costs of high drop-out
6 rates cost United States taxpayers and the economy billions of
7 dollars a year and wreak havoc on the fabric of families and
8 the communities they live in; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The United States, as a whole, stands to benefit
10 from investing in hard-working undocumented students who are
11 hoping to benefit from a higher education to reach their full
12 potential; therefore, be it
 
13     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15 we urge the United States government to immediately approve the
16 Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act
17 of 2005 (S. 2075); and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That we recognize that hard-working undocumented
19 students should not be unjustly punished by our immigration
20 laws for the decisions their parents made; and be it further
 
21     RESOLVED, That we recognize the role that public education
22 has on the lives of undocumented students, and we also urge the
23 Chicago Public Schools system to actively support the passage
24 of the DREAM Act in order to facilitate its work of stemming
25 the drop-out rates within its system; and be it further
 
26     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent
27 to George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Chicago
28 Board of Education, and the members of the Illinois
29 Congressional delegation.