RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, on April 16, 2016, Ecuador experienced a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake which led to 660 deaths, injured over 16,000 individuals and displaced over 28,000 individuals; and
WHEREAS, the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that nearly 7,000 buildings have been destroyed and 560 schools have been affected, 166 of which suffered medium to severe damage; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that, in total, over 24,000 buildings and homes were damaged and, according to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, reconstruction efforts could cost close to $3 billion; and
WHEREAS, the country has suffered at least 23 subsequent earthquakes and aftershocks of different magnitudes causing major complications in the recovery efforts; and
WHEREAS, given this widespread devastation Ecuador fully meets the criteria of a country eligible for TPS; and
WHEREAS, according to the Pew Research Center, as of 2013, there were roughly 417,000 Ecuadorian-bom individuals living in the United States as U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and visa holders; and
WHEREAS, according to the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2014, there were approximately 431,000 Ecuadorian-born individuals living in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Migration Policy Institute reports that there were roughly 146,000 undocumented Ecuadorians in the United States as of 2013, a number that government officials believe has grown to more than 200,000 individuals; and
WHEREAS, an estimated 60,000 Ecuadorian residents live in the Chicagoland and surrounding areas; and
WHEREAS, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of TPS designated countries; and
WHEREAS, during the temporary designation period, eligible nationals may remain in the United States and may not be detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) based solely on immigration status, and may obtain employment and travel authorization; and
WHEREAS, the Secretary of DHS has the authority to provide TPS to intmigrants present in the United States who are unable to safely return to their home country due to an ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent safe return; and
WHEREAS, an individual is only eligible for TPS benefits if he or she: (i) establishes continuous physical presence in the United States since the date specified by DHS; (ii) is not subject to one of the criminal, security-related or other bars to TPS; and (iii) applies for TPS benefits in a timely manner; and
WHEREAS, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within DHS, is responsible for adniinistering the TPS program; and
WHEREAS, a country's TPS designation takes effect on the date the designation is published and may last between six and 18 months, with the possibility of an extension; and
WHEREAS, once the Secretary of DHS terminates a TPS designation, TPS beneficiaries revert to the same immigration status they had prior to TPS or to any other status they may have acquired while registered for TPS; and
WHEREAS, in May 2016, Ecuador's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Guillaume Long, formally requested TPS designation for Ecuador on account of significant pressure to do so by Ecuadorian nationals residing in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the United States has donated nearly $3 million of humanitarian aid toward relief efforts; and
WHEREAS, granting TPS to Ecuadorians living in the United States would further demonstrate the United States' support for Ecuador; and
WHEREAS, many elected officials, such as U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have called upon President Obama and Secretaries Jeh Johnson and John Kerry to designate Ecuador as a country whose nationals are eligible for TPS because of the extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevented Ecuadorians from returning safely to their homes; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, call upon the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to designate Ecuador for Temporary Protected Status to provide temporary uruiugration relief to eligible Ecuadorian nationals in the wake of a devastating earthquake.
Alderman, 35th Ward
Edward M. Burke Alderman, 14ih Ward !
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Addition/Change
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Please Add Or ChaViqe The OA-Sponsor As Shown Below
Alderman Alderman Alderman Alderman Alderman
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Final copies to be filed with:
Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
City Clerk