Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Calling on President Obama to impose moratorium on deportations that separate families from U.S citizen or Dream Act eligible children.
Body
WHEREAS, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2013, there were 11.7 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States; and,
WHEREAS, deportations have reached record levels under President Obama, rising to an annual average of nearly 400,000 since 2009; and,
WHEREAS, the Obama Administration reportedly prioritized deporting only criminals, many individuals with no criminal history have been consistently deported; and,
WHEREAS, increased deportations and a continuously broken immigration system exacerbate the living conditions of U. S. citizen children whose parents have been deported; and,
WHEREAS, there are over five million children under the age of 18 who have one or more undocumented parents in the United States and 80% of these are U.S. citizens and the remaining are legal permanent residents or young people brought to this nation as children; and,
WHEREAS, separation of children from their parents, irrespective of immigration status, always results in severe consequences for young children who are left with no parental guidance or care and a highly unstable financial situation; and,
WHEREAS, as immigration continues to be at the center of national debate, President Obama and Congress must implement a more humanitarian immigration policy that keeps families together; and,
WHEREAS, members of Congress, Representative Mark Pocan and Representative Gwen Moore, recently signed a letter requesting President Obama to suspend any further deportations; and,
WHEREAS, it is necessary to expand the protections of our future citizens that were established by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and grant it to the family and neighbors and all those who have made their lives here but are yet to be fully recognized; and,
WHEREAS, Madison is home to a large number of undocumented immigrants from all parts of the world, the City should therefore make it a priority to keep families together and continue to press Congress and President Obama for a solution to our broken federal immigration system; and,
WHEREAS, we recognize and uphold the right to be raised with the love and support of a unified family as a fundamental human right, without the constant fear that that family will be taken from you, without which right these five million young people are denied the human rights, dignity and equal protection under the law afforded their peers; and,
WHEREAS, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has petitioned the President of the United States to impose a moratorium on deportations that separate families until such time as the Congress is able to pass legislation that fixes our broken immigration system; and,
WHEREAS, the Department of Homeland Security has provided the President with a memorandum outlining his powers to alleviate the crisis faced by the five million children with undocumented parents through administrative actions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison, call on the President of the United States to use his executive powers to stop the deportations of the parents of the estimated 5.1 million U.S. citizen children or Dream Act eligible children IMMEDIATELY in order to afford these children fundamental human rights and equal rights under the law until the debate on immigration reform is resolved in Congress and a new bill is signed into law by the President, and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a certified copy of this resolution be sent to President Barack Obama, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Senator Ron Johnson and Representative Mark Pocan.