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RES-2014-079 `� p2bi <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF EQUAL ACCESS FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN <br /> WHEREAS, Orange County, North Carolina, is a compassionate and caring community that is <br /> committed to creating a welcoming atmosphere that values equality and social justice; and <br /> WHEREAS, the number of unaccompanied children and minors from Central American nations <br /> seeking refuge in the United States has dramatically risen over the last three years; and <br /> WHEREAS, the vast majority of the children seeking refuge in the United States are fleeing <br /> extreme violence and poverty, including from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras; and <br /> WHEREAS, Honduras is the country with the world's highest murder rate, while El Salvador's <br /> murder rate is the fourth highest in the world; and <br /> WHEREAS, the majority of the children entering the United States are returning to parents or <br /> other family members who are present in the United States, including those children coming to <br /> North Carolina; and <br /> WHEREAS, approximately 1,429 of these children have been placed in North Carolina since <br /> January 2014; and <br /> WHEREAS, those children arriving in our community have the right under the United States <br /> Constitution to equal access to a public education, basic health care, and the protection of law <br /> enforcement; <br /> NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Orange County Board of Commissioners hereby: <br /> • Affirms that Orange County is a welcoming community to children seeking <br /> refuge from violence in their home countries and to the sponsors of these <br /> children; <br /> • Affirms the rights of children to attend public schools and to access basic health <br /> care in the county they reside, without regards to their immigration status; <br /> • Urges our congressional representatives, the Obama Administration, the <br /> Department of Homeland Security, and Governor Pat McCrory to ensure that the <br /> thousands of minors seeking safety within our borders and being apprehended by <br /> Border Patrol receive due process and legal representation in court hearings; <br /> • Directs the County Manager and all county departments to make services and <br /> resources available to help welcome children into our community who are seeking <br /> refuge from violence in their home countries; <br /> • Encourages continuing collaboration between Orange County and other local <br /> governmental entities and advocacy organizations to support and protect these <br /> children; and <br /> • Directs the Chair of the Board and the Clerk to forward this Resolution to each of <br /> the local governments in Orange County, including both Boards of Education, and <br /> respectfully requests that each consider adopting similar resolutions, and also <br /> forward this resolution to our state legislative delegation, and to the North <br /> Carolina Association of Counties. <br /> ADOPTED THIS THE 1 S`DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014. <br /> Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />