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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, More than 1,200 miles of the United States' southern |
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border runs between Texas and the United Mexican States; this |
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geographic proximity and the long common history of the region's |
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inhabitants have fostered many shared cultural values that have |
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shaped the identity of the entire state; and |
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WHEREAS, More than 3.5 million foreign-born residents from |
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all over the world call Texas "home," and immigrants make up nearly |
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16 percent of the state's total population, contributing |
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significantly to the Texas economy; and |
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WHEREAS, Notwithstanding the obvious contributions by |
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immigrants to Texas and the nation as a whole, recent international |
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events have appropriately propelled border security issues to the |
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forefront of state and federal government agendas; the resulting |
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discourse has included the issue of immigration policy, |
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understandably an emotionally charged issue; and |
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WHEREAS, Too often these discussions devolve into little more |
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than blaming sundry social ills on a group vaguely identified as |
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"illegal aliens"; this term is clearly considered a pejorative by |
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native-born citizens and naturalized citizens alike, prompting |
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organizations such as the National Association of Hispanic |
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Journalists and major newspapers to avoid its usage altogether; and |
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WHEREAS, Furthermore, the term inaccurately describes the |
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individuals in question; under current United States immigration |
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law, being an undocumented immigrant is not a crime but a civil |
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violation; in fact, approximately 40 percent of undocumented |
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immigrants are guilty only of overstaying their visas and, thus, |
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have not illegally immigrated; and |
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WHEREAS, As a nation of immigrants, and given the importance |
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of the international security issues currently before our state and |
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nation, it is incumbent on elected officials at all levels of |
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government to avoid obfuscation when discussing border security and |
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immigration policy, and it would best facilitate informed debate if |
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inaccurate terms such as "illegal alien" were omitted from official |
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use, including statutes; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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respectfully request that the United States Congress and the Texas |
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Legislature adopt the terms "undocumented worker," "undocumented |
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person," and "undocumented immigrant" as replacements for the term |
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"illegal alien" in official discourse; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, the |
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speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and all members of the Texas |
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delegation to the congress with the request that this resolution be |
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officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the |
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Congress of the United States of America. |