Mr. Speaker. I rise to voice my anger over the recent mishandling by White House. U.S. State Department and Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] officials of Ukrainian sailor Miroslav Medvids possible request for political asylum. First of all. the United States has long championed international respect for basic human rights. Our concern about the imprisonment within the Soviet Union of such brave individuals as Anatoly Scharansky and Irina Ratushinskaya. and the oppression of other Soviet dissidents including Andrei Sakharov. has been cheapened by our handling of the Medvid case. Here we have a Soviet sailor who attempted twice to escape from a Soviet vessel in United States waters. who reportedly upon his first attempt was severely beaten after being returned to his vessel. and who was returned after his second escape attempt by our INS officials.
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Naturalization Immigration