Eighteen hundred of them are in my district. Because the courts have refused to act. we must. In 1987 as we celebrate the bicentennial of our Constitution. we must extend to refugees due process of our laws. Commissioner Nelson of the Immigration and Naturalization Service has recently stated that the Marielitos have more due process than "people in many places." I suggest to you ladies and gentlemen. as the Atlanta Constitution has recently suggested. that to find it sufficient that our conduct in this matter might favorably with policies in the Soviet Union. South Africa. or even Cuba for that matter. is ignominious and outrageous. The immigration authorities have maintained that the Mariel detainees present dangers to society due to ciminal tendencies or mental problems. The INS now admits that not all the detainees are dangerous. contrary to the position it took as recently as a year ago. A few detainees have been processed and released from the detention center in Oakdale.
Identified stereotypes
The Mariel detainees present dangers to society due to criminal tendencies or mental problems.