Title
To urge the United States Congress to adopt and enact comprehensive immigration reform.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus recognizes the economic, social and cultural contributions immigrants bring to their communities and, in particular, to Columbus, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, the responsibility of municipal leaders is to protect the well-being and safety of all people residing in their cities; and
WHEREAS, it is the duty of our local leaders to respect the rights of, and provide equal services to, all individuals, regardless of national origin or immigration status; and
WHEREAS, our nation’s immigration and border security policies are federal responsibilities that are in desperate need of reform; and
WHEREAS, a talented workforce made up of both skilled and unskilled labor is an important driver of our local economy; and
WHEREAS, family unity is a component of a strong, healthy community and economy, and re-unification of families has been a key part of federal immigration policy for almost fifty years; and
WHEREAS, the independent Congressional Budget Office recently released their analysis of the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform bill, and found that the bill would reduce the deficit over the next 10 years by $197 billion, and by about $700 billion over the following decade; and
WHEREAS, there is broad, bipartisan support and collaboration among business, labor, faith-based and other community groups, and individual residents, to promote comprehensive immigration reform that provides sensible and effective solutions; and
WHEREAS, momentum at the federal level for comprehensive immigration reform leads this council to recommit its support for comprehensive immigration reform made on June 21, 2010; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council urges the United States Congress to adopt and enact comprehensive immigration reform that would help secure our international borders and provide a path t...
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