[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.
                                 <all>