Chairman. as a cosponsor of H.R. 618. I rise in strong support of this bill and commend my distinguished colleague from Massachusetts for introducing legislation which would grant equal protection to those who fled the horrors of the civil war in El Salvador as well as those from Nicaragua. Opponents of H.R. 618 state that there are major differences between the case of the immigrants from El Salvador versus those from Nicaragua. I contend that that is in fact true. The difference is the way the current administration addresses the needs of these people even though both have fled their respective countries in fear for their lives and wellbeing. Presently. the United States Department of Justice is actively reaching out to undocumented aliens from Nicaragua and encouraging them to apply for asylum. Immigration and Naturalization Service authorities have gone so far as to request that those Nicaraguans who have applied and have been denied asylum. reapply. It is reported that 90 percent of all Nicaraguans who submit applications for asylum. will be granted this coveted status. Special provisions have also been made whereby work permits will be automatically issued to these individuals. waiving the long waiting period and interview process. Based on these reports. it is easy to see why the administration believes that extended voluntary departure is not necessary for Nicaraguans. But what about the Salvadorans?
Keywords matched
Immigration Naturalization immigrants work permits undocumented