The Evanston Human Services Committee will be considering their sanctuary resolution tonight. I'll post here as soon as I hear if it's going any further. I thought I'd post a copy of the resolution so that our excerpts could see what they propose. I received this in an email.


The Evanston Human Services Committee will be considering this issue tonight at 7pm, at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 North Ridge Ave.


1/30/2008
11-R-08
A RESOLUTION

Calling for Humane and Just Treatment for Immigrants and Their Families

WHEREAS, the United States, from its inception, has been a nation of immigrants seeking political or economic refuge, freedoms not attainable in their land of origin, and the ability to improve their lot in life that is not open to them elsewhere; and

WHEREAS, the inscription on the Statue of Liberty states:


Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door; and

WHEREAS, throughout our nation’s history immigrants have contributed greatly to the social, cultural, and economic success of our society and still do so today; and

WHEREAS, the issue of immigration in the United States is essentially one of basic human rights, exemplified by the growing number of communities passing resolutions seeking to protect immigrants’ rights; and

WHEREAS, the United States has always been a nation that embraces family values, while current policy violates these values by forcibly separating native-born children who are citizens of the United States from their immigrant parents through deportation and where the long processing time of immigrant applications for citizenship prevents children from living with their families; and

WHEREAS, an increasingly hostile anti-immigrant and racist atmosphere is being promoted by a vocal minority that represents neither American values nor the majority of our citizenry; and

WHEREAS, Evanston has long had a history of standing for justice, compassion, human rights, and peace as evidenced by City declarations of being a nuclear free zone, a sanctuary for Salvadoran refugees, and in opposition to the war in Iraq, and Evanston’s proud tradition of valuing and promoting diversity, as in the successful effort to integrate our public schools, the annual celebration of the Ethnic Arts Festival, and the provision of bilingual education and bilingual City services,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that except as provided below or when otherwise required by law, no City of Evanston bureau, office, division, department, employee, or other agency or agent shall condition the provision of City of Evanston benefits, opportunities, or services on matters related to citizenship or immigrant status; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it shall be the policy of the City of Evanston Police Department not to assist in the investigation of the citizenship or immigrant status of any person unless such inquiry or investigation is (a) integrally related to an investigation by the Evanston Police Department regarding a matter other than the individual’s citizenship or immigrant status or other crimes that have as an element of the crime the illegality of a person’s presence, or (b) as otherwise required by law. The Evanston Police Department shall not make inquiries into immigration status for the sole purpose of determining whether an individual has violated the civil immigration laws; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, except when otherwise required by law, no City of Evanston bureau, office, division, department, or employee, or other City of Evanston agency or agent shall disclose information regarding the citizenship or immigrant status of any person unless required to do so by law, or such disclosure has been authorized in writing by the individual to whom such information pertains, or if such individual is a minor or is otherwise not legally competent, by such individual’s parent or guardian; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Evanston Department of Health and Human Services (“the Departmentâ€