HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2014-079 Resolution in Support of Equal Access for Immigrant Children RES-2014-079 `� p2bi
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF EQUAL ACCESS FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN
WHEREAS, Orange County, North Carolina, is a compassionate and caring community that is
committed to creating a welcoming atmosphere that values equality and social justice; and
WHEREAS, the number of unaccompanied children and minors from Central American nations
seeking refuge in the United States has dramatically risen over the last three years; and
WHEREAS, the vast majority of the children seeking refuge in the United States are fleeing
extreme violence and poverty, including from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras; and
WHEREAS, Honduras is the country with the world's highest murder rate, while El Salvador's
murder rate is the fourth highest in the world; and
WHEREAS, the majority of the children entering the United States are returning to parents or
other family members who are present in the United States, including those children coming to
North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, approximately 1,429 of these children have been placed in North Carolina since
January 2014; and
WHEREAS, those children arriving in our community have the right under the United States
Constitution to equal access to a public education, basic health care, and the protection of law
enforcement;
NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Orange County Board of Commissioners hereby:
• Affirms that Orange County is a welcoming community to children seeking
refuge from violence in their home countries and to the sponsors of these
children;
• Affirms the rights of children to attend public schools and to access basic health
care in the county they reside, without regards to their immigration status;
• Urges our congressional representatives, the Obama Administration, the
Department of Homeland Security, and Governor Pat McCrory to ensure that the
thousands of minors seeking safety within our borders and being apprehended by
Border Patrol receive due process and legal representation in court hearings;
• Directs the County Manager and all county departments to make services and
resources available to help welcome children into our community who are seeking
refuge from violence in their home countries;
• Encourages continuing collaboration between Orange County and other local
governmental entities and advocacy organizations to support and protect these
children; and
• Directs the Chair of the Board and the Clerk to forward this Resolution to each of
the local governments in Orange County, including both Boards of Education, and
respectfully requests that each consider adopting similar resolutions, and also
forward this resolution to our state legislative delegation, and to the North
Carolina Association of Counties.
ADOPTED THIS THE 1 S`DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014.
Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners