HM 8 — "ASIAN AMERICAN DAY"

HOUSE MEMORIAL 8 54TH LEGISLATURE- STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSIO, 2019 INTRODUCED BY Abbas Akhil 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL DECLARING JANUARY 17, 2019 "ASIAN AMERICAN DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

145 WHEREAS, there are more than forty-two thousand Asian Americans living in New Mexico;

and WHEREAS, Asian Americans are among the fastest-growing and e t 17 emerging communities of color in New Mexico;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, Asian Americans in New Mexico come from = = 19 a l Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, i a e r 20 Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, a t m m 21 Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam, d r e 22 as well as other locations;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, Asian Americans have worked on the railroads and e a n b 24 in agriculture in New Mexico since the nineteenth century and u [ fought bravely in World War I, World War II, the Korean and .212271.1 Vietnam conflicts, the Gulf War and in Afghanistan and Iraq and have received congressional medals of honor, purple hearts and other military commendations;

and HM 8 WHEREAS, the Chinese American citizens alliance, Page 1 including its Albuquerque chapter, the Asian American association of New Mexico and the Japanese American citizens league thank the New Mexico legislature for its leadership in the 1882 project, seeking an apology from congress for passage of a series of laws, including the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which was not repealed until 1943;

and WHEREAS, prior to passage of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Asians were greatly affected by the e e 17 Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted immigration of Chinese e e n d 18 laborers and forbade the naturalization of Chinese immigrants;

= = l ] 19 and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, Asians also were affected by the federal t e a t Immigration Act of 1917, which designated an "Asiatic barred m m 21 e d r e 22 zone" of much of eastern Asia and the Pacific islands from c e r c 23 which people could not immigrate to the United States;

and e a n b 24 WHEREAS, the federal Immigration and Nationality Act of u [ 1965 enabled Asian family reunification, civil rights and equal .212271.1 - 2 - protection under the law that had been denied for over sixty years;

and HM 8 Page 2 WHEREAS, United States Senate Resolution 201 further expressed deep regret for six decades of legislation specifically targeting persons of Asian descent, barring them from naturalization and immigration and denying them civil rights and equal protection under the law;

and WHEREAS, United States House of Representatives Resolution 683, expressing the regret of the house of representatives for the passage of laws that adversely affected the Chinese in the e e 17 United States, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, was e e n d 18 supported by Congressmen Martin T.

Heinrich, Steve Pearce and = = l ] 19 Ben R.

the resolution was placed on the suspension a l r i 20 calendar and passed unanimously by the one hundred twelfth t e a t congress by voice vote on June 8, 2012;

and m m 21 e d r e 22 WHEREAS, New Mexico Senator Cisco McSorley sponsored and c e r c 23 led the repeal of the Alien Land Law from the constitution of e a n b 24 New Mexico during the first session of the forty-seventh u [ legislature in 2005, which law prohibited land ownership by all .212271.1 - 3 - immigrants ineligible for United States citizenship;

and WHEREAS, Asian Americans contribute greatly to the economy of New Mexico with their labor, industry, businesses HM 8 Page 3 and purchasing power;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that January 17, e e 17 2019 be declared "Asian American Day" in the house of e e n d 18 representatives;

and = = l ] 19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be a l r i 20 transmitted to the Asian American association of New Mexico and t e a t the New Mexico Asian family center.

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