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SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
Resolution No. 16 of 2019
JOINT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THE TREATMENT
OF MIGRANTS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER
WHEREAS, recent national and local reports have drawn attention to the inhumane conditions under which men, women, and children migrants are being detained; and
WHEREAS, a recent report by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security found “dangerously” overcrowded and “unsanitary” conditions at an immigrant detention facility in Texas where 750-900 individuals were being held in a facility built for a maximum of 125 individuals; and
WHEREAS, in a different border detention facility doctors and attorneys say approximately 250 infants, children and teens were locked up for weeks without adequate food, water and sanitation; and
WHEREAS, since September of 2018, six migrant children died while in United States government agencies custody; and
WHEREAS, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stated she is appalled by the conditions in which migrants and refugees - children and adults - are being held in detention and stressed children should never be held in immigration detention or separated from their families; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Bachelet further stated several United Nations human rights bodies found the detention of migrant children may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment that is prohibited by international law; and
WHEREAS, the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City have serious concerns about the deplorable conditions of the detention facilities, and are deeply troubled as reports bring the inhumane treatment to light; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, law enforcement, business, community, religious, and government leaders in Utah came together to sign the Utah Compact on Immigration, which quickly became a model for the immigration debate throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Utah Compact contains five key principles to guide the immigration debate; two of which speak directly to the current conditions which migrant men, women and children are now facing:
“FAMILIES: Strong families are the foundation of successful communities. We oppose policies that unnecessarily separate families. We champion policies that support families and improve the health, education and well- being of all Utah children.
A FREE SOCIETY: Immigrants are integrated into communities across Utah. We must adopt a humane approach to this reality, reflecting our unique culture, history and spirit of inclusion. The way we treat immigrants will say more about us as a free society and less about our immigrant neighbors. Utah should always be a place that welcomes people of goodwill;” and
WHEREAS, the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City firmly believe the humane, compassionate, and empathetic principles of the Utah Compact should guide immigration policy and treatment of those seeking relief in the United States.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
that the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City join together to strongly condemn inhumane treatment and conditions at government and private immigrant detention facilities and call upon our Federal leaders to take a humane course of action to address this humanitarian crisis.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that the Salt City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City call upon our Federal leaders to adopt the guiding principles of the Utah Compact to guide their debate and policy considerations in the adoption of comprehensive immigration reform.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City will transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, each United States Senator and Representative from Utah and to the Governor of Utah, asking them to use their leadership position to address the emergency situation of living conditions of migrants on the border and to adopt comprehensive immigration reform.
Passed by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, this 16th day of July, 2019.