Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
SYNOPSIS
Condemns President Trump's racist comments directed at members of Congress.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution condemning President Trump's racist comments directed at members of Congress.
Whereas, The Founders conceived America as a refuge for people fleeing from religious and political persecution, and emphasized that the nation gained as it attracted new people in search of freedom and livelihood for their families; and
Whereas, The immigration of people from all over the world has defined every stage of American history and propelled our social, economic, political, scientific, cultural, artistic, and technological progress as a people; and
Whereas, American patriotism is defined not by race or ethnicity but by devotion to the Constitutional ideals of equality, liberty, inclusion, and democracy; and
Whereas, President John F. Kennedy, whose family came to the United States from Ireland, stated in his 1958 book "A Nation of Immigrants" that, "The contribution of immigrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life. We see it in religion, in politics, in business, in the arts, in education, even in athletics and entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touched by our immigrant background. Immigrants have enriched and strengthened every fabric of American life."; and
Whereas, The United States is unique among nations because it draws its people and its strength from every country and every corner of the world, and by doing so, the United States is a continuously renewed and enriched nation; and
Whereas, President Donald Trump's racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color; and
Whereas, This House believes that immigrants and their descendants have made America stronger, and that those who take the oath of citizenship are as American as those whose families have lived in the United States for many generations; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House strongly condemns President Donald Trump's racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color by saying that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should "go back" to their countries, by referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as "invaders," and by saying that members of Congress who are immigrants, or those assumed to be immigrants, do not belong in Congress or in the United States of America.
2. Copies of this resolution as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns President Trump's racist comments directed at members of Congress. His comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color. This House believes that immigrants and their descendants have made this country stronger, and that those who take the oath of citizenship are as American as those whose families have lived in the United States for many generations.
The Founders conceived America as a refuge for people fleeing from religious and political persecution, and emphasized that the nation gained as it attracted new people in search of freedom and livelihood for their families. The immigration of people from all over the world has defined every stage of American history and propelled our social, economic, political, scientific, cultural, artistic, and technological progress as a people. The United States is unique because it draws its people and its strength from every country and every corner of the world, and by doing so, the United States is a continuously renewed and enriched nation.