[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 384 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 384
Supporting the goals of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 1, 2003
Ms. Solis (for herself, Mr. Honda, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr.
Owens, Mr. Berman, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez
of California, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Lee, Mr. Grijalva, Mr.
Crowley, Mr. Serrano, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Reyes, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Towns, Mr. Payne, Mr. Filner, Mr. Lewis of
Georgia, Mr. Baca, Mr. Frost, Mr. Becerra, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Kildee,
Mr. McGovern, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Hinchey, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Wynn, and Ms.
Loretta Sanchez of California) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride.
Whereas the United States has been called ``a Nation of immigrants'';
Whereas throughout the history of the United States, immigrants have helped
build cities, towns, farms, businesses, economies, and civic and
cultural institutions;
Whereas immigrant workers work hard, pay taxes, and sacrifice for their
families;
Whereas immigrants add strength and stability to our economy;
Whereas from September 20, 2003, through October 4, 2003, hundreds of immigrant
workers will board buses and stop in dozens of communities across the
country as part of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride;
Whereas participants in the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will raise awareness
about the plight of immigrant workers and advocate for changing our
immigration policy to create a road to citizenship for all immigrant
workers, reunite workers with their families, ensure immigrants' civil
rights and liberties, and protect the rights of immigrants in the
workplace;
Whereas the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will encourage greater civic
participation by new and future United States citizens;
Whereas the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is modeled after the 1961 Freedom
Rides of the United States civil rights movement in which student
activists from across the country rode buses in to the Deep South to
challenge segregation;
Whereas the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is an opportunity to learn from and
honor the civil rights movement history in the United States;
Whereas State legislators and political leaders across the country have endorsed
the ride;
Whereas immigrants work as construction workers, doctors, nurses, janitors, meat
packers, chefs, busboys, engineers, farm workers, and members of the
United States Armed Forces;
Whereas our current immigration system keeps millions of hardworking immigrants
from becoming full members of society in the United States and enjoying
equal rights;
Whereas, according to the United States Department of Commerce, immigrant
workers comprised 12.4 percent of the Nation's labor force in 2000;
Whereas, according to the National Academy of Sciences, immigrants make
indispensable contributions to the economy and contributed at least
$133,000,000,000 in direct taxes to Federal, State, and local
governments in 1997;
Whereas immigrants add about $10,000,000,000 each year to the economy of the
United States;
Whereas undocumented immigrants contribute at least $300,000,000,000 to the
gross national product of the United States annually;
Whereas, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United
States will have a shortage of 10,000,000 workers by the year 2006;
Whereas the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is sponsored by a large coalition of
labor, community, religious, student, and immigrant groups; and
Whereas the United States needs a policy that recognizes the realities of
contemporary American life and the dynamics of the global economy by
enabling immigrants to adjust their status: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals of the Immigrant Workers Freedom
Ride--
(A) to raise awareness about the need for
immigration reform;
(B) to encourage greater civic participation by new
and future United States citizens;
(C) to advocate for changes in our immigration
policy--
(i) to reward work by granting legal status
to hardworking, taxpaying, law-abiding
immigrant workers already established in the
United States;
(ii) to clear the path to citizenship for
immigrant workers;
(iii) to ensure fair treatment on the job
for immigrant workers;
(iv) to reunite families; and
(v) to respect the civil rights and civil
liberties of immigrants;
(2) recognizes and honors the millions of immigrant workers
in the United States who work hard, pay taxes, and contribute
to our economy and our communities; and
(3) encourages the Congress and the President to support
policies that accomplish the goals of the Immigrant Worker
Freedom Ride.
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