Upholding the civil liberties and civil rights of Iranian Americans and condemning bigotry, violence, and discrimination.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1008 Upholding the civil liberties and civil rights of Iranian Americans and condemning bigotry, violence, and discrimination. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 18, 2020 Mr. CONNOLLY (for himself, Mr. ROONEY of Florida, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. WALTZ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Home- land Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris- diction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Upholding the civil liberties and civil rights of Iranian Ameri- cans and condemning bigotry, violence, and discrimina- tion. Whereas Iranian Americans serve as government officials, in the military, and in law enforcement, working to uphold the Constitution of the United States and to protect all Americans; Whereas Iranian Americans uphold democratic values and be- lieve in the pillars of America—life, liberty, and the pur- suit of happiness; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Jun 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1008.IH HR1008 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1008 IH Whereas Iranian Americans are vibrant, peaceful, and law- abiding citizens of the Baha’i, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Zoroastrian faiths, or are nonreligious; Whereas Iranian Americans have contributed greatly to the social and economic fabric of American society; Whereas the Small Business Administration finds Iranian Americans among the immigrant groups with the highest rates of business ownership in the United States; Whereas Iranian Americans are award-winning artists, sci- entists, and athletes; Whereas the United States condemns acts of bigotry, vio- lence, and discrimination; Whereas dozens of Americans of Iranian heritage were de- tained for several hours at the Peace Arch Border in Washington State in January 2020 based on their eth- nicity or national origin; Whereas a directive was published appearing to show that the Seattle Field Office directed border patrol agents to tar- get Iranian, Lebanese, and Palestinian nationals born be- tween 1961 and 2001 for additional vetting; Whereas Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security initially denied that there was any directive ordering the detainment of Iranian Americans; Whereas many Iranian Americans have been deeply shaken by this discriminatory treatment, with some members of the community stating that they will not travel outside of the country for fear of being unfairly targeted based on their national heritage; Whereas the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Department of Homeland Security has opened an inves- VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Jun 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1008.IH HR1008 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1008 IH tigation into the detention of Iranian Americans at the border; Whereas the United States Commission on Civil Rights, es- tablished by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, said that it ‘‘expresses deep concern over the treatment of Iranians and Iranian Americans in airports, and calls on the De- partment of Homeland Security to take all necessary steps immediately to ensure equitable treatment of all people at America’s borders’’; Whereas according to a survey commissioned by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, the percentage of Iranian Americans who say they have personally experi- enced discrimination because of their ethnicity or na- tional origin was 49 percent in 2018; Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2019 Hate Crime Statistics reveals that the most common bias moti- vation of single-bias incidents is due to race, ethnicity, or ancestry bias at 59.6 percent of all incidents; and Whereas Iranian Americans have long faced discrimination in times of turbulence in the relationship between the United States and Iran: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) condemns bigotry and acts of violence or 2 discrimination against any American, including Ira- 3 nian Americans; 4 (2) declares that government leaders and law 5 enforcement personnel should ensure that the civil 6 rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including 7 Iranian Americans, are fully protected; 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Jun 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1008.IH HR1008 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1008 IH (3) encourages local, State, and Federal elected 1 officials to engage Iranian Americans to share their 2 experiences with their communities to end stereo- 3 types, correct misconceptions, and convey instances 4 of abuse against the Iranian American community; 5 (4) calls upon local, State, and Federal law en- 6 forcement authorities to investigate and vigorously 7 prosecute crimes committed against all Americans, 8 including Iranian Americans, that are based on ac- 9 tual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, 10 or ethnicity; 11 (5) urges the Office of Civil Rights and Civil 12 Liberties in the Department of Homeland Security 13 to conclude a thorough and timely investigation into 14 detentions of Iranian Americans at the border; and 15 (6) calls on Customs and Border Protection in 16 the Department of Homeland Security to halt imme- 17 diately any orders that encourage discrimination on 18 the basis of nationality or religion, including those 19 targeting individuals of Iranian heritage. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:33 Jun 19, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1008.IH HR1008 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS