Mr. Speaker. today I sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of State for InterAmerican Affairs Elliott Abrams supporting his recent statement that the Reagan administration is intending to "reconsider the political refugee status of Nicaraguans currently in the United States." Mr. Abrams made his statement. according to an Associated Press wire story. at a dinner hosted by the Miami based Nicaraguan American Bankers Association and the Nicaraguan American Private Enterprise Council. I believe that the violence inflicted on Nicaraguan civiliansby both the Sandinistas and the Contra forcesshould have compelled this administration. long ago. to halt Nicaraguan deportations. While I applaud Mr. Abrams recent remarks. I also encourage him not to ignore the equally tragic plight of the Salvadoran refugees. Despite the best intentions of Salvadoran President Duarte. there is still great cause for concern with regard to human rights in El Salvador. Mr. Speaker. to advocate. as I and many other Members do. the temporary suspension of Salvadoran and Nicaraguan deportations should not be interpreted as a statement for or against United States foreign policy in the region. The issue of protecting Salvadorans and Nicaraguans is not a political or partisan matterit is a humanitarian concern. I hope my colleagues will keep this in mind as we debate this issue in the coming days.
Keywords matched
deportations refugee refugees