WHEREAS, There are 3,000 to 5,000 recent Indonesian refugees and immigrants living in South Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, They are essential to the vitality and growth of South Philadelphia and the City as a whole; and
WHEREAS, Without immigrants our population would decreased dramatically; and
WHEREAS, This group of immigrants have worked hard and become fully engaged in our neighborhoods, our churches, our schools, and other institutions; and
WHEREAS, This group of immigrants are mostly ethnic Chinese and overwhelmingly Christian and substantially Catholic; and
WHEREAS, This group came to Philadelphia because of well documented ethnic and religious persecution in their Indonesian homeland; and
WHEREAS, The Hebrew Immigration Aid Service has requested the help of City Council to bring awareness to this problem and intervene on behalf of this group with the Philadelphia Congressional delegation and the U.S. Attorney General to gain Temporary Protective Status for this group; now therefore
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Calls upon Mayor John F. Street to urgently convene a conference of City Council and the Philadelphia Congressional delegation, including our two U.S. Senators, to ask Attorney General John Ashcroft to grant Temporary Protective Status to the Council Committee on Law & Government to hold hearings to investigate the problems faced by this group in obtaining legal status as citizens; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chairperson of the Committee is authorized in furtherance of such investigation to issue subpoenas or other process as the Chairperson deems necessary or appropriate to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under Section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.
End