H. Res. 489 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 16, 2019. 

Whereas the Founders conceived America as a haven of refuge for people fleeing from religious and political persecution, and Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and 

James Madison all emphasized that the Nation gained as 

it attracted new people in search of freedom and livelihood for their families; 

Whereas the Declaration of Independence defined America as 

a covenant based on equality, the unalienable Rights of 

life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and government 

by the consent of the people; 

Whereas Benjamin Franklin said at the Constitutional convention, ‘‘When foreigners after looking about for some 

other Country in which they can obtain more happiness, 

give a preference to ours, it is a proof of attachment 

which ought to excite our confidence and affection’’; 

Whereas President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, ‘‘Remember, 

remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, 

are descended from immigrants and revolutionists’’; 

Whereas immigration of people from all over the Earth has 

defined every stage of American history and propelled our 

social, economic, political, scientific, cultural, artistic, and 

technological progress as a people, and all Americans, ex-
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cept for the descendants of Native people and enslaved 

African Americans, are immigrants or descendants of immigrants; 

Whereas the commitment to immigration and asylum has 

been not a partisan cause but a powerful national value 

that has infused the work of many Presidents; 

Whereas American patriotism is defined not by race or ethnicity but by devotion to the Constitutional ideals of 

equality, liberty, inclusion, and democracy and by service 

to our communities and struggle for the common good; 

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. Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.’’; 

Whereas President Ronald Reagan in his last speech as 

President conveyed ‘‘An observation about a country 

which I love’’; 

Whereas as President Reagan observed, the torch of Lady 

Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents our heritage, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and 

our ancestors, and it is the Statue of Liberty and its values that give us our great and special place in the world; 

Whereas other countries may seek to compete with us, but in 

one vital area, as ‘‘a beacon of freedom and opportunity 

that draws the people of the world, no country on Earth 

comes close’’; 
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Whereas it is the great life force of ‘‘each generation of new 

Americans that guarantees that America’s triumph shall 

continue unsurpassed’’ through the 21st century and beyond and is part of the ‘‘magical, intoxicating power of 

America’’; 

Whereas this is ‘‘one of the most important sources of America’s greatness: we lead the world because, unique among 

nations, we draw our people—our strength—from every 

country and every corner of the world, and by doing so 

we continuously renew and enrich our nation’’; 

Whereas ‘‘thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land 

of opportunity, we’re a nation forever young, forever 

bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the 

cutting edge’’, always leading the world to the next frontier; 

Whereas this openness is vital to our future as a Nation, and 

‘‘if we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost’’; and 

Whereas President Donald Trump’s racist comments have legitimized fear and hatred of new Americans and people 

of color: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) believes that immigrants and their descendants 

have made America stronger, and that those who take 

the oath of citizenship are every bit as American as 

those whose families have lived in the United States for 

many generations; 

(2) is committed to keeping America open to those 

lawfully seeking refuge and asylum from violence and op-
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pression, and those who are willing to work hard to live 

the American Dream, no matter their race, ethnicity, 

faith, or country of origin; and 

(3) 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 other countries, by referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as ‘‘invaders,’’ and by saying that Members of Congress who are immigrants (or 

those of our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be 

immigrants) do not belong in Congress or in the United 

States of America. 

Attest: 

Clerk.