Res. No. 836 Title Resolution calling upon President George W. Bush and the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to immediately grant United States citizenship to the more than 37,000 non-citizen legal permanent residents currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. Body By Council Members Martinez, Baez, Barron, Brewer, Clarke, Comrie, Foster, Jackson, Jennings, Katz, Koppell, Liu, Lopez, Monserrate, Perkins, Quinn, Seabrook, Serrano, Stewart, Vann and Weprin Whereas, The United States of America is currently engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom, an operation that, according to President George W. Bush, is intended to disarm Iraq, free its people, defend the world from grave danger and remove Saddam Hussein and his sons from power; and Whereas, Currently, there are approximately 2.8 million people serving in the United States Armed Forces who may be called upon to fight in the war in Iraq or in any other military conflict, of which approximately 1.45 million are on active-duty military status and another 1.35 million serve in the various Reserve and National Guard components; and Whereas, At the present moment, there are approximately 300,000 members of the United States Armed Forces deployed in the Persian Gulf region and serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, some of whom have already made the ultimate sacrifice by dying in service to the United States; and Whereas, According to the United States Department of Defense, there are more than 37,000 non-citizen legal permanent residents currently serving in the United States Armed Forces; and Whereas, Recent reports have highlighted the stories of Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Menusa, originally of the Philippines, Corporal Jose Angel Garibay, a native of Mexico and Lance Corporal Jose Gutierrez, who was born in Guatemala, three non-citizen legal permanent residents serving in the Marines who were killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom; and Whereas, These three brave Marines were recently granted posthumous United States citizenship under Section 329-A of the Immigration and Nationality Act [8 U.S.C 1440-1], which permits granting of posthumous citizenship through death while on active-duty service in the United States Armed Forces during World War I, World War II, The Korean Hostilities, The Vietnam Hostilities, or in other periods of Military Hostilities; and Whereas, Gunnery Sergeant Menusa, Corporal Garibay and Lance Corporal Gutierrez are among three of the ten non-citizen legal permanent residents who have been killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a total that also includes Staff Sergeant Riayan Tejeda, an eight-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a resident of the Washington Heights section of New York City; and Whereas, At the time of his death in Iraq on April 11, 2003, Staff Sergeant Tejeda was still trying to become a citizen of the United States despite a Presidential Executive Order signed by President George W. Bush on July 3, 2002 that expedited the naturalization process of aliens and non-citizen nationals serving in an active-duty status during the country's War on Terrorism; and Whereas, Section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act [8 U.S.C. 1440] permits naturalization through active-duty service in the United States Armed Forces during World War I, World War II, The Korean Hostilities, The Vietnam Hostilities, or in other periods of Military Hostilities; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon President George W. Bush and the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services to immediately grant United States citizenship to the more than 37,000 non-citizen legal permanent residents currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. Body LS# 2257 RA 4/24/2003 H:/word/resolutions/martinez/ls#2257 |1013| |1013|