Speech #980098965

I think. a hotel and restaurant workers labor organization. They claim that they. too. were seeking extended voluntary departure for the wretched of El Salvador because if they return. they will be persecuted and killed. How extraordinary a statement. and to come from a labor organization representing undocumented workers. I would assume. because a great part of their interest in the case was that they not lose those workers and those members. That case was brought on a humanitarian stance. which is somewhat dazzling for me to perceive. Finally. and then I shall yield to my colleague from Kentucky. there is the issue of asylum applications. The reason we are in turmoil with that particular procedure in this country is that. 3 years ago. we had about 4.000 asylum applications pending. but that system has been so gimmicked that now we have over 170.000 asylum applications pending in the United States. If anyone believes that every one of those people is truly a refugeeand there is no difference between a refugee and asylee except one is here and one is there. In their country when they seek refugee status some nameless officer of the Government just stamps the form and says "Rejected." and that is the end of their due process. Yet. when they come here and seek asylee status. they have six ways to the courthouse and when it is all finished and deportation orders are there. they can start again at "Go." like a Monopoly game. That is what has happened to asylum applications in the United States. I earnestly hope that in the midst of an issue which is filled with fear. guilt. emotionalism. racism. all the stuff I truck around in in this baby. my colleagues will pay attention to those statistics that I gave.