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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The last four decades have represented a period | ||||||
| 3 | of significant
demographic change in the United States; now | ||||||
| 4 | more than ever,
Black immigrants compose a significant | ||||||
| 5 | percentage of both
the immigrant and Black populations in the | ||||||
| 6 | U.S. overall; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Black immigrants face disproportionate | ||||||
| 8 | interactions with the criminal justice system and encounter | ||||||
| 9 | more discrimination based on their race as well as immigrant | ||||||
| 10 | status; just as African Americans suffer disproportionately | ||||||
| 11 | high arrest, prosecution, and incarceration rates, so too are | ||||||
| 12 | Black immigrants, despite no evidence that they engage in more | ||||||
| 13 | criminalized activities in comparison to any other racial | ||||||
| 14 | group; Black immigrants are also disproportionately affected | ||||||
| 15 | by the compounding impact of the immigration enforcement | ||||||
| 16 | system, where numerous federal agencies and programs work in | ||||||
| 17 | conjunction with local law enforcement to criminalize, detain, | ||||||
| 18 | and deport immigrants; these disparities in policy and law | ||||||
| 19 | concerning Black immigrants are rooted in racism and unjustly | ||||||
| 20 | target Black immigrants at all stages of the process; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, The Biden Administration has pledged to develop a | ||||||
| 22 | pathway to lawful permanent status for undocumented | ||||||
| 23 | immigrants, but advocates are asking how President Biden will | ||||||
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| 1 | address the overall plight of Black immigrants; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, As the number of Black immigrants living in the | ||||||
| 3 | United States continues to rise, debates around immigration | ||||||
| 4 | must acknowledge and rectify the injustice inherent in the | ||||||
| 5 | system; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, There is much work to be done to address the | ||||||
| 7 | struggles of Black immigrants, who have been left out of | ||||||
| 8 | policy decisions for too long; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is committed to protecting | ||||||
| 10 | Black immigrants; therefore, be it
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| 11 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 12 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 13 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Task Force on Black | ||||||
| 14 | Immigrants is created and charged with the task of studying | ||||||
| 15 | the state of Black immigrants in Illinois and providing | ||||||
| 16 | recommendations on how to assist them; and be it further
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| 17 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the | ||||||
| 18 | following 16 members, who shall serve without compensation: | ||||||
| 19 | (1) One member appointed by the Speaker of the House, | ||||||
| 20 | who shall serve as co-chair; | ||||||
| 21 | (2) One member appointed by the Senate President, who | ||||||
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| 1 | shall serve as co-chair; | ||||||
| 2 | (3) One member appointed by the House Minority Leader; | ||||||
| 3 | (4) One member appointed by the Senate Minority | ||||||
| 4 | Leader; | ||||||
| 5 | (5) One member appointed by the Chair of the House | ||||||
| 6 | Black Caucus; | ||||||
| 7 | (6) One member appointed by the Chair of the Senate | ||||||
| 8 | Black Caucus; | ||||||
| 9 | (7) One member appointed by Governor; | ||||||
| 10 | (8) One member appointed by the Lt. Governor; | ||||||
| 11 | (9) The Director of the Department of Human Rights or | ||||||
| 12 | his or her designee; | ||||||
| 13 | (10) The Director of the Department of Human Services | ||||||
| 14 | or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 15 | (11) Three members representing diplomatic missions | ||||||
| 16 | and trade organizations that serve Black immigrants, | ||||||
| 17 | appointed by the Governor; | ||||||
| 18 | (12) Two members from an organization dedicated to | ||||||
| 19 | defending the rights and improving the quality of life for | ||||||
| 20 | immigrants, appointed by the Speaker of the House; and | ||||||
| 21 | (13) One member from a organization dedicated to | ||||||
| 22 | improving the quality of life for African Americans in the | ||||||
| 23 | State of Illinois, appointed by the Senate President; and | ||||||
| 24 | be it further
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| 25 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Human Rights shall | ||||||
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| 1 | provide administrative support for the Task Force; and be it | ||||||
| 2 | further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet at the call of the | ||||||
| 4 | co-chairs; and be it further
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| 5 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final | ||||||
| 6 | report to the General Assembly no later than December 31, | ||||||
| 7 | 2024, and upon the filing of the report, is dissolved.
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