Petition of TMM-9 Martin Rosenthal and TMM-4 Frank Farlow, et al.
Contact telephone number: 617-738-6621, e-mail address martyros@theworld.com
ARTICLE , November 2006 Town Meeting
To see if the Town will adopt the following:
RESOLUTION Reaffirming Sanctuary Status for Undocumented Immigrants:
WHEREAS: The Town of Brookline has been built and enriched by generations
of immigrants, and has a proud history since November, 1985, as a Sanctuary
for refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Haiti;
WHEREAS: There are now approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants
in the USA who have been systematically denied the opportunity enjoyed
by past generations of immigrants to become legal permanent residents
or citizens of this country; over the past two decades, immigration policy
has become even more restrictive and punitive and closed off avenues previously
available for immigrants to obtain legal permanent residency, while the
US-Mexico border has been further militarized;
WHEREAS: While borders have been closed off to people over the past two
decades, they have been simultaneously opened up to trade and capital;
these same “free trade” economic policies have increased poverty
and decreased opportunities for people to make a dignified living and
support their families;
WHEREAS: In 2005, record numbers of migrants seeking to support their
families, with no means to migrate safely into the USA, perished in the
desert along the US-Mexico border, while countless others died in the
journey; and the migration experience has adverse emotional and psychological
effects on families, kept apart for many years due to unjust immigration
policies and backlogs in visa applications; and undocumented immigrants
are especially vulnerable to workplace abuses and housing discrimination;
WHEREAS: Current US immigration policy does not reflect the standards
of Brookline residents regarding what is just, humane and moral; and both
undocumented and documented immigrants in the U.S. fuel our economy and
those of their countries of origin;
WHEREAS: On December 16, 2005, the House of Representatives passed HR-4437,
which would have drastic consequences for nearly all immigrants to this
country, their families, their neighbors, and those who support them;
and the US Senate has been considering a companion bill that contains
many of the same counterproductive, misguided measures, including criminalization
of immigrants and those who help them, further militarization of the border,
turning police into immigration agents, and the erosion of cherished legal
traditions such as due process; and the US Senate is also considering
guest worker programs that would create a second-class citizenry without
basic rights, disenfranchised and vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous
employers;
WHEREAS: Much public discourse surrounding immigration has taken a tone
ranging from irrational to racist, including the pejorative use of terms
like “illegal” and “alien” to describe immigrants,
with a dehumanizing effect that helps to justify policies criminalizing
and excluding immigrants;
WHEREAS: Raids by the federal government, ranging from the highly publicized,
nationwide workplace raids on April 17, 2006, that resulted in the arrest
of 1,187 employees to the less widely known sweeps of homes such as occurred
in Massachusetts on March 6, 2006, have instilled fear and panic in immigrant
communities and created environments that are ripe for intimidation, harassment
and racial profiling;
WHEREAS: Following the raids in April of this year, the US Homeland Security
Secretary announced plans to intensify such enforcement measures, an announcement
that came in the midst of unprecedented numbers of immigrants demonstrating
in defense of their dignity, against HR-4437, and for an opportunity to
obtain legal permanent residency; and
WHEREAS: Numerous cities, including Maywood, Huntington Park, and Coachella,
CA have recently declared themselves Sanctuary Cities, and cities from
Cambridge MA (May 8, 2006) to Chicago and San Francisco have reaffirmed
their earlier commitments as Sanctuaries,
THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT:
1. The Town of Brookline reaffirms its commitment as a Sanctuary Town,
as declared by Town Meeting in November, 1985, and expands it now to include
all undocumented immigrants from all countries;*
2. The Town endorses the platform of the Keep Our Families Together Campaign,
an initiative of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean
Communities that seeks to (a) enable immigrants who currently live and
work in the United States to obtain Permanent Resident status and have
the option to apply for citizenship; (b) increase the number of visas
available in the quota system with a preference for family unification;
(c) establish a limit of no more than six months for the processing and
resolution of immigration applications; (d) facilitate the integration
and participation of immigrants into the political, social and economic
life of this country; and (e) enable future immigrants to enter the United
States under a legal system that is just and respectful of human rights;
3. The Town calls upon the US Department of Homeland Security and the
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to declare a moratorium on immigrant
raids, at least until the US Congress comes to an agreement on comprehensive
immigration reform, so that the debate can be carried out in good faith
rather than against a backdrop of fear, repression and intimidation;
4. The Town affirms the basic human rights and dignity of every human
being;
5. The Town rejects the use of the word “illegal” to describe
human beings and the use of the word “aliens” to describe immigrants,
and hereby adopts the language “undocumented” when referring
to those who do not have federally recognized resident status and “immigrant”
to refer to those who have migrated to the US from another country;
6. The Town of Brookline urges the US Senate to defeat HR 4437 and urges
the President to veto such legislation if approved by the Senate; and
7. The Town Clerk shall forward a copy of this resolution on behalf of
the Town of Brookline to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation and
to the President of the United States.
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fn. * The operative 1985 language “RESOLVED THAT:
“the Town of Brookline become a sanctuary for refugees from El Salvador,
Guatemala, and Haiti, and that they shall be afforded all rights and privileges
offered and supplied to all people residing or working in the Town;
“it is the policy of the Town that, to the extent legally possible,
no department or employee of the Town will violate established or future
sanctuaries by officially assisting or voluntarily cooperating with investigations
or arrest procedures, public or clandestine, relating to alleged violations
of immigration law by refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala or Haiti or
by those offering sanctuary;
“the Town supports and appreciates its residents who may provide
bedding, food, health and other settlement assistance, as well as friendship
to refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Haiti; and the Town will
not participate in any form in the compounding of injustice against these
refugees or in the Federal Government’s persecution of those who
in good faith offer humanitarian assistance to these refugees;
“the Town supports all efforts intended to provide free, effective
legal representation for any person residing in Massachusetts who is seeking
asylum in the U.S. because of fear of persecution in his or her homeland,
including Mass. Senate Bill #1063 sponsored by Senator Jack Backman.”
or act on anything relative thereto.
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EXPLANATION
Resolution Reaffirming Sanctuary Status for Undocumented Immigrants
This “speaking” Resolution is largely is self-explanatory, especially
the “Resolved” clauses. For the sake of both consistency and
political impact, the text is closely modeled on that passed by the Cambridge
City Council on May 8, 2006.
We the undersigned registered voters of Brookline hereby petition and
request that the above Resolution be placed on the warrant for the November
2006 Special Town Meeting.