New Mexico HM 8: "ASIAN AMERICAN DAY"

Bill Text

HM 8
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A MEMORIAL
DECLARING JANUARY 17, 2019 "ASIAN AMERICAN DAY" IN THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES.
WHEREAS, there are more than forty-two thousand Asian
Americans living in New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans are among the fastest-growing
and emerging communities of color in New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans in New Mexico come from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India,
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet and
Vietnam, as well as other locations; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans have worked on the railroads
and in agriculture in New Mexico since the nineteenth century
and fought bravely in World War I, World War II, the Korean
and Vietnam conflicts, the Gulf War and in Afghanistan and
Iraq and have received congressional medals of honor, purple
hearts and other military commendations; and
WHEREAS, this year represents the fifty-fourth
anniversary of the passage of the federal Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon
B. Johnson at the foot of the statue of liberty on October 3,
1965; and
WHEREAS, the Chinese American citizens alliance,

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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Exclusion Act, which was not repealed until 1943; and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
Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted immigration of
Chinese laborers and forbade the naturalization of Chinese
immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Asians also were affected by the federal
Immigration Act of 1917, which designated an "Asiatic barred
zone" of much of eastern Asia and the Pacific islands from
which people could not immigrate to the United States; and
WHEREAS, the federal Immigration and Nationality Act of
1965 enabled Asian family reunification, civil rights and
equal protection under the law that had been denied for over
sixty years; and
WHEREAS, United States Senate Resolution 201, passed by
unanimous consent, including New Mexico Senators Jeff
Bingaman and Tom Udall, on October 6, 2011, acknowledged that
the exclusion laws were incompatible with a basic founding
principle of the United States: that all persons are created
equal; and

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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 United States, including the
Chinese Exclusion Act, was supported by Congressmen Martin T.
Heinrich, Steve Pearce and Ben R. Lujan; the resolution was
placed on the suspension calendar and passed unanimously by
the one hundred twelfth congress by voice vote on June 8,
2012; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico Senator Cisco McSorley sponsored and
led the repeal of the Alien Land Law from the constitution of
New Mexico during the first session of the forty-seventh
legislature in 2005, which law prohibited land ownership by
all immigrants ineligible for United States citizenship; and
WHEREAS, the repeal of these laws affirms the
responsibility of congress and the New Mexico legislature to
safeguard the civil rights and constitutional protections of
all Americans, regardless of their race or ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans contribute greatly to the
economy of New Mexico with their labor, industry, businesses

HM 8
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and purchasing power; and
WHEREAS, Asian Americans are contributing their unique
culture, customs and traditions to the already richly diverse
culture of New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, Asians are a strong part of the narrative and
historical context of New Mexico and deserve to have their
humanity in all its shapes and forms be recognized;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that January 17,
2019 be declared "Asian American Day" in the house of
representatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the Asian American association of New Mexico
and the New Mexico Asian family center.