110 HRES 1380 IH: Commending Federal and local law U.S. House of Representatives 2008-07-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

110th CONGRESS 2d Session

H. RES. 1380

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 24, 2008

Mr. Roskam (for himself and Mr. Kirk) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

RESOLUTION

Commending Federal and local law enforcement for their efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in the Chicagoland suburbs and calling on the Governor of the State of Illinois to immediately implement employee verification technology to curb rising trends in illegal immigration in the State of Illinois.

Whereas on July 19, 2008, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, in conjunction with local law enforcement, arrested 49 individuals in a 4 day operation targeting illegal immigrants with ties to violent street gangs in the north and northwest Chicago suburbs; Whereas these arrests were made under Operation Community Shield, a comprehensive nationwide effort between ICE and other Federal and local law enforcement agencies to address the significant public safety threat posed by criminal illegal immigrants; Whereas 42 of the 49 individuals arrested had prior criminal histories, including convictions and arrests for drunken driving, drug possession, aggravated battery, burglary, theft, and domestic battery; Whereas 9 of the individuals arrested had been previously deported; Whereas it is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in Federal prison to reenter the United States after being formally deported; Whereas the enforcement efforts were undertaken by men and women of the sheriff’s departments of Cook County, Boone County, DuPage County, and Winnebago County and the police departments of Addison, Belvidere, Bensenville, Elgin, Franklin Park, Harvard, Mt. Prospect, West Chicago, Wheeling, and Woodstock; Whereas more than 8,900 illegal immigrant gang members have been arrested since Operation Community Shield began in 2005; Whereas the State of Illinois has a rapidly-growing illegal immigrant population that is now estimated at more than 550,000; Whereas the illegal immigrant population in Illinois is 4th largest in the Nation, surpassed only by states along the United States southern border; Whereas the Governor of Illinois has expressed support for policies to extend taxpayer-funded benefits and services to illegal immigrants; Whereas the Illinois General Assembly passed and the Governor of Illinois signed into law legislation to prohibit the use of employee verification technology to determine the immigration status and employment eligibility of prospective hires; Whereas such legislation undermines the right of Illinois employers to use every possible tool to comply with Federal law in not hiring illegal immigrants; Whereas employment verification technology is the most effective and efficient way for employers to determine the immigration status of new employees; and Whereas the State of Illinois spends an estimated $2,500,000,000 each year in providing free or taxpayer-subsidized education, healthcare, and State service benefits to illegal immigrants: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)commends the local law enforcement officers participating in Operation Community Shield to protect American families and communities from the threat of violent illegal immigrant gang activity; (2)reaffirms the basic right of every employer in the United States to verify the immigration status of prospective employees; (3)calls on the Illinois General Assembly to repeal Illinois Public Act 095–0138, which violates Federal law by denying employers the right to verify the legal status of potential employees; and (4)urges the Governor and State legislature of Illinois to take every possible action to enforce existing immigration laws and address the growing illegal immigrant population in the State of Illinois.