Speech #960272526

BILL LEHMAN met with INS officials ineluding Commissioner Leonel Castillo. in order to try to persuade the INS not to keep Haitians in jail and to provide them with work authorizations. He also met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. That body responded by setting up a Haitian Refugee Task Force chaired by Hon. SHIRLEY CHISHOLM. Congressman LEHMAN has cooperated with the task force in its efforts to achieve justice and equality for the Haitians. In August 1979. BILL LEHMAN publicly called for the granting of asylum to the Haitians who had been languishing in Miami. Later he joined with other distinguished Americans in urging President Carter to exercise his parole authority and grant the Haitians refugee status before the expiration of the parole authority on May With the influx of Cuban refugees during the past several weeks. BILL LEMAN did not forget the dire circumstances of the Haitians. In meetings with White House and other adminstration officials. he continually pointed out the inequity of treatment of the Cubans and the Haitians. When the White House assured him that they would receive equal treatment. he went down to Miami to visit the refugee processing centers and compared how the two groups were being treated by the INS. He noted that the Cubans were receiving work authorizations and the Haitians were not. These efforts. to me. make us realize that there are those who do in actuality really care about their fellow man. are committed to a deep sense of decency and. moral obligation and are not afraid to stand up for human dignity and justice.*