Speech #980214316

If the gentleman will yield further. I find it distressing that. under the guise of immigration and naturalization law reform. the committee in fact comes before us and makes an already difficult and bad situation enormously worse. I would hope that this amendment in fact would be adopted to return the situation to the status quo. which is difficult and bad and narrow enough. as it is. Our Nation has made a historic commitment to shelter the oppressed peoples of the world. Our current laws reflect this commitment by providing important protections to refugees who are fleeing persecution in their homeland. However. the bill before us today envisions a reduction in these protections and a weakening of our longtime commitment to the victims of political. economic. and religious oppression. Section 121 of H.R. 1510 provides for the summary exclusion of aliens who arrive at our border without a passport or a visa. This section allows a border inspection official to become policeman and judge in determining the fate of wouldbe refugees. In some cases. these officials would wield the power of life and death over the arriving refugees. I believe this section to be in violation of our commitments under national and international law. The Refugee Act of 1980 recognizes our responsibility to ensure that every alien who is present or arrives in the United States has the opportunity to apply for asylum. And when we signed the protocol relating to the status of refugees. ratified in 1968. we obligated ourselves to provide entry to genuine political refugees. It is true that the border inspection officials are required to advise aliens of their right to legal counsel and to a redetermination by an administrative law judge. But this is not an adequate protection for individuals who arrive in this country tired. hungry. and deathly afraid of uniformed officials who remind them of the oppressive authorities from which they are fleeing.