During markup of H.R. 1777 in the Foreign Affairs Committee. I sponsored a provision which called for a report by the State Department regarding United States policy on the acceptance of current and former Cuban political prisoners into the United States. At that time I argued that the United States had failed to live up to its public commitment to allow the 1.500 former Cuban political prisoners the opportunity to immigrate to the United States. For years. these individuals have been held hostage to the political struggle between Cuba and the United States. In the recent past. United States policy towed granting asylum to present and former Cuban political prisoners has been badly muddledits seems that our latest policy was to grant priority to former political prisoners who spent more than 10 years In Castros prisons. We should not set a minimum amount of time that an individual has to languish In jails before we allow them to Immigrate to this country. I am pleased that the conference agreement redefines United States policy to direct the State Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to process all applications for asylum from any Cuban political prisoner. without regard to the duration of their imprisonment. By passing such measures. the Congerss is taking a decisive step to restore the United States to its historical role as a moral leader in the company of lawabiding nations. I urge my colleagues to accept the conference report.
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Naturalization Immigration immigrate Immigrate