,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #ddc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,december #ab1      
#bjac,mr4 ,meeks 7for himself1 ,mr4     
,conyers1 ,mr4 ,lewis1 ,ms4 ,wilson of  
,florida1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,ms4
 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 and ,ms4        
,waters7 submitted the following        
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,expressing the sense of  
the ,house of ,representatives regarding
 the ,september #bc1 #bjac1 decision of 
the ,dominican ,republic ,constitutional
 ,court that places hundreds of         
thousands of ,dominican born persons at 
risk of statelessness4  ,whereas        
international norms on statelessness are
 guided by ,article #ae of the          
,universal ,declaration of ,human       
,rights that states1 ,no one shall be   
arbitrarily deprived of his or her      
nationality2 ,whereas understanding the 
broad reaching affects of statelessness 
on the ,united ,states and the global   

community1 the ,united ,states          
cosponsored a resolution on the right to
 nationality for women and children at  
the #bjth session of the ,united        
,nations ,human ,rights ,council in     
,geneva1 ,switzerland2 ,whereas the     
,dominican ,republic ,constitutional    
,court ruling #afh pronounced that all  
individuals of migrant background born  
in the ,dominican ,republic since #aibi 
must be transferred to a list that will 
be examined on an individual basis to   
determine if their parents were         
undocumented1 thereby calling into      
question the legal status of children   
born to said parents regardless of any  
previously established ,dominican       
citizenship of these children2 ,whereas 
the majority of individuals that are    
subject to this ruling are of ,haitian  
descent2 ,whereas previously accepted   
documentation for parents and children  
may now be called into question and     
deemed inadequate2 ,whereas individuals 
born in the ,dominican ,republic of     

,haitian descent whose documentation is 
rejected could be retroactively stripped
 of ,dominican citizenship under the    
government's regularization plan1       
resulting in arbitrary deprivation of   
nationality in violation of             
international law2 ,whereas a stateless 
person is someone who under national    
laws is not recognized as a citizen and 
does not enjoy the legal bond between an
 individual and the government of a     
country2 ,whereas statelessness is a    
problem that expands beyond the borders 
within which it exists and has regional 
and global implications1 including      
heightened vulnerability to trafficking 
in persons1 forcible displacement1      
social exclusion1 and sexual and        
physical violence2 ,whereas ,executive  
,order #cbg-ac signed by ,president     
,medina of the ,dominican ,republic on  
,november #bi1 #bjac1 is a positive step
 toward regularizing the status of      
foreigners living in the ,dominican     
,republic1 but under the decree         

,dominicans of ,haitian descent stripped
 of their nationality by decision       
#afh-ac are erroneously deemed to be    
foreigners2 ,whereas taking into account
 ,article #h of ,executive ,order       
#cbg-ac and recognizing ,president      
,medina's promise to provide a path to  
citizenship for all individuals born in 
the ,dominican ,republic and stripped of
 their nationality by decision #afh-ac1 
the decree does not take all necessary  
steps in consultation with civil society
 to ensure full restoration of          
nationality for all individuals affected
 by decision #afh-ac1 whether or not    
they have been previously registered in 
the civil registry2 and ,whereas without
 recognition of ,dominican nationality1 
persons are denied benefits available to
 ,dominican citizens1 including freedom 
of movement1 the right to vote1 legally 
recognized marriage1 health insurance1  
and higher level schooling3 ,now1       
therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense  
of the ,house of ,representatives that--

 7#a7 it is the unequivocal policy of   
the ,united ,states to promote the right
 to nationality without arbitrary       
deprivation by any state as articulated 
in ,article #ae of the ,universal       
,declaration of the ,human ,rights2 and 
7#b7 the ,united ,states ,ambassador to 
the ,organization of ,american ,states  
7,,oas7 in consultation with ,,oas      
member states1 in particular governments
 of ,caribbean nations1 ,president of   
the ,permanent ,council1 and the        
,inter-,american ,commission1 should    
pursue a multilateral approach to       
promptly address the potential crisis in
 the ,dominican ,republic as a result of
 that nation's ,constitutional ,court   
ruling on ,september #bc1 #bjac1 that   
could render hundreds of thousands of   
,dominican born persons stateless4