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Senate Memorial

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A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging

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Congress to support revisions of federal immigration

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policies in order to provide Temporary Protective Status

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for Haitians fleeing their home country because of

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political, religious, and other recognized persecution and

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to support the humane and just treatment of Haitian

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immigrants.

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     WHEREAS, the United States of America is known worldwide as

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the land of the free and has provided sanctuary and new

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beginnings for people from around the world, and

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     WHEREAS, today thousands of individuals flee civil unrest

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and political persecution in their home countries in search of

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basic freedoms and take enormous risks in their attempt to reach

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America, seeking a safe haven, and

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     WHEREAS, under the current federal policy, certain refugees

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who reach United States soil are granted "Credible Fear

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Interviews" and are often paroled in the Unites States, but

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Haitian immigrants are incarcerated indefinitely in detention

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facilities and denied any meaningful opportunity to present their

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cases in a court of law, and

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     WHEREAS, the current federal policy is unfair,

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discriminatory, and inhumane and should be revised to provide

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Temporary Protective Status for persons fleeing Haiti, NOW,

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THEREFORE,

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Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     That the Congress of the United States is urged to support

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revisions of federal immigration policies which will provide

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Temporary Protective Status in this country for Haitians who are

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fleeing their home country because of political, religious, and

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other recognized persecution and which will otherwise support the

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humane and just treatment of Haitian immigrants.

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     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

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dispatched to the President of the United States, to the

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President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the

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United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the

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Florida delegation to the United States Congress.