RESOLUTION 1: Resolution on the United States Medical Insurance Access

Submitted by Paul Draus and Ethel Nicdao (Co-Chairs) on behalf of the Health, Health Policy, and Health Services Division

Whereas, access to adequate and quality health care is necessary for humans to flourish; and

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RESOLUTION 2:  Resolution on Refugee and Immigrant Rights and Executive Order

Submitted by Executive Officer Héctor L. Delgado (member) on behalf of the Global Division

Whereas, the United States historically has been a place of refuge for people fleeing political and religious persecution, famine, terrorism, and other atrocities;

Whereas, immigrants and refugees have contributed enormously to the economic, political, and cultural well-being of the United States since its inception as a nation of immigrants;

Whereas, immigrants and refugees have fought for and have given their lives for the security of the United States;

Whereas, the United States is one of 146 nations who in 1967 signed the United Nations Protocol to the Status of Refugees, and who has since welcomed over millions of refugees from the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America;

Whereas, the President of the United States issued an Executive Order on January 27, 2017, suspending the issuance of visas to nationals from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen; shutting down the country’s refugee program for 120 days; reducing the number of refugees admitted to the United States in 2017 from 110,000 to 50,000; and halting the resettlement of Syrian refugees indefinitely;

Whereas, on March 6, 2017, a second, modified Executive Order, superseding the January 27 order, was issued in an attempt to address the concerns of the judges who blocked the first order;

Whereas, the second Executive Order was also blocked by the Courts, principally, as a federal judge in Hawaii stated, because, in the view of a “reasonable, objective observer,” the order was issued “with a purpose to disfavor a particular religion, in spite of its stated, religiously neutral purpose;”

Whereas, on January 25, 2017, the President of the United States issued an Executive Order on border security that raised concerns among immigration experts and activists regarding human rights, the expanded use of detention, limits on asylum, enhanced enforcement along the southern border with Mexico, and the construction of a 2,000 mile wall along the border;

Whereas the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), as an academic and social justice organization, is committed to protecting the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees, and, toward that end, fashioning immigration and refugee policies that are fair and in the best interest of the United States, and recognizing the many contributions immigrants and refugees have made to the United States;

Whereas, the SSSP believes that the Executive Order as presently drafted makes the United States, less, not more, secure, by providing fuel for extremist groups to recruit new members and launch new attacks and alienating Muslims in the United States and other parts of the world at a time that the country should be welcoming them and enlisting their support for and participation in the struggle against terrorist organizations that themselves espouse a form of religious intolerance and distortion that as a nation, the United States should eschew;

Whereas,a policy that targets a religious group diminishes the United States’ moral standing in the world; undermines the United States’ ability to work with other nations and international organizations on humanitarian initiatives and peace efforts; and destabilizes immigrant communities, encouraging individuals to take risky and desperate actions;

THEREFORE, Be it resolved that the SSSP supports immigration and refugee policies that allow for a careful review of applications, but on an individual basis, rather than on the basis of religion or country of origin; and

Be it resolved, that while the SSSP is aware of the powers vested in the Office of the President of the United States on immigration, the SSSP urges the President to review the Executive Order he issued most recently to ensure that it is not motivated by a desire to deny entry to, or even advertently targets, a group on the basis of religion, ethnicity, or country of origin; and

Be it resolved, that in an attempt to secure the country’s border, the United States must ensure that individuals are not denied, intentionally or unintentionally, their human, civil, and legal rights, including sufficient time to find and consult with legal counsel; and

Be it resolved, that the SSSP applauds the efforts by attorneys and immigration- and refugee-rights organizations and activists to ensure that the United States retain its moral standing in the world as a nation that is welcoming and fair to people fleeing persecution or searching for a better life for their family; and

Be it further resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States and the leaders of both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and posted on the SSSP’s website.

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RESOLUTION 3: Resolution in Support of the United States’ Commitment to and Participation in the Paris Climate Accord

Submitted by Laura McKinney (Chair) on behalf of the Environment and Technology Division

Whereas, the President of the United States has announced the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement;

Whereas, the scientific community has achieved consensus about the existence of adverse effects of climate change, with research findings supporting the mandate of the Paris Climate Accord;

Whereas, the United States’ commitment to and participation in the Paris Climate Accord is critical to reaching targets for global emissions reductions;

Whereas, failing to achieve emissions reductions as outlined in the Paris Climate Accord poses grave threats to the health and wellbeing of individuals worldwide;

Whereas, the adverse effects of climate change are disproportionately concentrated among vulnerable and marginalized populations worldwide;

Whereas, failing to meet targets for global emissions reductions as outlined by the Paris Climate Accord unnecessarily puts into peril future generations’ health and wellbeing;

Whereas, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord impinges on employment of individuals across diverse sectors of environmental policy, planning, science, research, and development;

THEREFORE, Be it resolved that the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) stands in solidarity with the policies and practices established by the Paris Climate Accord; and

Be it resolved, that the SSSP will communicate support for the Paris Climate Accord to the leaders of both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate, all members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the House Committee of Natural Resources, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the President of the United States; and

Be it further resolved, that the SSSP will stand in solidarity with the nations and other public and private entities that remain steadfast to upholding emissions reduction targets as outlined in the Paris Climate Accord, posting this resolution on its website.