Speech #980219594

Mr. Speaker. I voted against considering H.R. 1510. the Immigration Reform and Control Act. both for substantive and procedural reasons. This legislation. also known as the SimpsonMazzoli bill. contains provisions which will significantly endanger the rights of current American citizens. the rights of those who are seeking refuge in our country from oppression abroad. and the rights of undocumented workers currently residing in our country. And it was brought up in such a way as to to deny a wellconstructed and reasonable alternative. the right to a fair hearing. After more than a week of debate and amendments. these circumstances are unchanged. Given the sweeping nature of the legislation before us and the threat it poses to the rights of American citizens. refugees. and aliens. the House of Representatives should defeat this bill. It should then give serious consideration to alternative approaches to the problem of illegal immigration which will remove the incentive for this activity while preserving basic human rights. The controversy surrounding immigration reform stems not from a disagreement on whether it is necessary. but from a disagreement on how best to accomplish it. Proponents of the SimpsonMazzoli bill have portrayed this legislation as a workable compromise that will satisfy all constituencies affected by immigration reform. However. it has failed to do so. Substantial questions remain as to the wisdom and effectiveness of key proposals con-" tained in this legislation. And a prominent alternative. H.R. 4909. introduced by Representative ROYBAL. has been given only the most cursory examination. it has not even been given the benefit of a hearing. The provisions of H.R. 1510 relating to refugees are entirely inadequate. Our Nation has made a historic commitment to shelter people fleeing from oppression and 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. As reported. H.R. 1510 reduced the protections available to refugees. However. an extremely misguided amendment adopted by the House makes a bad situation even worse. The amendment would allow border patrol officers to exclude aliens seeking to enter this country if they arrive here without proper documentation. The aliens would not have to be informed o! their right to counsel or to have an administrative law judge redetermine their condition. They could be returned immediately to a country in which they face torture or death. The amendment. would also significantly diminish access to the courts by refugees under certain circumstances and would eliminate class actions as a remedy to the unjust application of our immigration laws. The courts have played an extremely important role in recent years in protecting the rights of asylum seekers. and it is essential that access to the courts remain unencumbered. Finally. the bill places strict time limitations on refugees seeking asylum in our country. Given the extremely vulnerable situation of asylum seekers. who are unfamiliar with our language or our legal system. it is essential that we provide these individuals with enough time to secure legal assistance and present their claims. This bill calls for a serious weakening of our Nations longstanding commitment to refugees from around the world. Serious abuses of human rights might occur if persons are returned to a country in which they face persecution or death. By passing this bill. we would be telling "the tired. the poor. and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free" to keep out.