RESOLUTION \^lcUwi^>
WHEREAS, the United States is a nation of immigrants founded on universal ideals aiming to form a more perfect union; and
WHEREAS, in the words of President John F. Kennedy, " .immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a city of immigrants with a long history of contributions to greater society; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Mayor Harold Washington declared the City of Chicago to be the first Sanctuary City in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have subsequently reaffirmed that action; and
WHEREAS, under a broken federal immigration system, deportations have reached record levels under President Obama, rising to an annual average of nearly 400,000 since 2009;and
WHEREAS, the United States Senate passed an immigration reform bill in June of 2013;and
WHEREAS, the United States House of Representatives has failed to act on a companion bill; and
WHEREAS, President Obama announced in June of 2014 that he intended to take executive action to undertake immigration reform; and
WHEREAS, recent polling shows favorable support for immigration reform; and
WHEREAS, a Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution poll from June of 2014 showed 62 percent of Americans in favor of a path allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens, with an additional 17 percent in favor of allowing for legal residency; and
WHEREAS, the President recently announced, however, that he would not take any executive action regarding immigration until after the November mid-term elections; and
WHEREAS, the United States urgently needs immigration reform to adequately address the concerns of the general public; NOW THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED, that, we, the Mayor and the City Council ofthe City of Chicago urges the Obama Administration to take the appropriate executive action to move forward on immigration reform on behalf of the millions of resident immigrants; and