Since then. thousands of Poles have fled to Europe and the United States in an attempt to escape military rule. Ten days later. President Reagan instructed the Immigration and Naturalization Service to tell its offices that Poles who reach the United States and "who are unwilling to return to Poland" will not be forced to leave. While this may have been the Presidents intention. it has not been carried out in practice. There are now 6.951 Poles in the United States in what is known as Extended Voluntary Departure. It allows those with EVD status to remain in the country with an agreement that they will depart voluntarily rather than be deported immediately. The Poles in this status have been receiving extensions of EVD from the Attorney General for the past 5 years in 6 months increments. leaving those in that status in a precarious and unpredictable situation. The uncertainty of having to rely on 6 months extensions was made very clear this past week when the State Department recommended against the extension and in so doing caused great concern to Poles everywhere. those with EVD status as well as their families. indeed to many American citizens of Polish ancestry over whether their brethren would be able to stay in the United States as productive and hard working members of our society. While the Presidents initial and speedy action in 1981 represented a compassionate and fair approach to this problem. it has not been translated into practice. Not only have those who have been granted EVD status been left hanging for 6 months at a time. but approximately 1.500 of those who have applied for political asylum or other status have been rejected and either deported or "required to depart." This. I trust. is not what the President had in mind when he issued his statement in 1981. This bill is straightforward.
Keywords matched
Naturalization Immigration deported