H. Res. 489 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 16, 2019. 
Whereas the Founders conceived America as a haven of ref-
uge for people fleeing from religious and political perse-
cution, and Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and 
James Madison all emphasized that the Nation gained as 
it attracted new people in search of freedom and liveli-
hood 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 con-
vention, ‘‘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 im-
migrants; 
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 eth-
nicity 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 im-
migrants 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 en-
riched 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 herit-
age, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and 
our ancestors, and it is the Statue of Liberty and its val-
ues 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 be-
yond and is part of the ‘‘magical, intoxicating power of 
America’’; 
Whereas this is ‘‘one of the most important sources of Amer-
ica’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 fron-
tier; 
Whereas this openness is vital to our future as a Nation, and 
‘‘if we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leader-
ship in the world would soon be lost’’; and 
Whereas President Donald Trump’s racist comments have le-
gitimized 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 say-
ing 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 im-
migrants and asylum seekers as ‘‘invaders,’’ and by say-
ing 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.