PRINTER'S NO. 1921
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
405
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY SCHWANK, WILLIAMS, BLAKE, FONTANA, STREET, LEACH,
FARNESE, HUGHES, HAYWOOD, TARTAGLIONE, COSTA AND DINNIMAN,
JUNE 22, 2018
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JUNE 22, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to enact Federal
legislation pending in the United States Senate to prevent
the separation of children from their parents at the border
and keep immigrant families together.
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration and United States Attorney
General Jeff Sessions have adopted a "zero-tolerance" policy and
announced criminal prosecutions regarding individuals who cross
the border seeking protections from violence; and
WHEREAS, The "zero-tolerance" policy requires the separation
of children from those individuals who are detained since
children cannot be jailed; and
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration has cited Federal law as
the reason for the separations, even though no statutes exist
that require children to be physically separated from their
parents; and
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration began interpreting a 1997
legal agreement and a 2008 human trafficking bill as requiring
the physical separation of families; and
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WHEREAS, Neither the administrations of former President
George W. Bush nor Barack Obama adopted this interpretation of
those agreements; and
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration's unilateral change in
policy has resulted in more than 2,000 children being physically
separated from their parents over a six-week period, with more
than 100 of those separated children being younger than 4 years
of age, according to the Department of Homeland Security figures
cited by numerous media; and
WHEREAS, In one facility in Texas, more than 1,100
undocumented migrants were detained with 200 of those detainees
being unaccompanied children; and
WHEREAS, There have been widespread reports and photographic
evidence of children being housed in fenced-in shelters or
makeshift facilities; and
WHEREAS, The Trump Administration policy has been roundly
criticized by Democrats, Republicans, clergy, advocates and
others as cruel, harsh, immoral and inhumane; and
WHEREAS, The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High
Commissioner condemned the practice of separating immigrant and
refugee children from their parents at the border as "a serious
violation of the rights of the child" on June 5, 2018; and
WHEREAS, Senator Diane Feinstein, on June 7, 2018, introduced
S. 3036, known as the "Keep Families Together Act," to prevent
the United States Department of Homeland Security from
separating immigrant children from their parents at the border,
and similar legislation is pending before Congress; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge Congress to enact Federal legislation pending in the United
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States Senate to prevent the separation of children from their
parents at the border and keep immigrant families together; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
condemn the Trump Administration's "zero-tolerance" policy; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the Pennsylvania delegation to the 115th Congress to
immediately request that the President reverse his ill-advised
"zero-tolerance" policy separating children from their families;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
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