Speech #1010094030

It is unclear what the aliens rights are. how the Justice Department determines what countries merit EVD status or how long they will be able to stay. This bill remedies each of those problems by specifying who is eligible and what registration process they must go through. as well as the duration of their stay. Again the bill does not provide grant refugee status or asylum to these people but simply temporary protected status under very limited circumstances. The suspension of deportation is not the same as the granting of political asylum. because the deferral of deportation is only temporary. The bill is not granting Chinese. Nicaraguan. or Salvadoran aliens permanent resident status. They would be required to obtain work permits. The United States has suspended the deportation of illegal immigrants from specific countries some 14 times during the past 25 years. In fact. in the last 29 years only 2 months have gone by during which there was not at least one group of aliens In the United States under EVD status. Deportation has been suspended for citizens of friendly nations such as Lebanon. as well as communist countries. on the basis of political instability and internal strife. Suspending the deportation for Central Americans will not undermine the Immigration Act that was enacted last year. In fact. the registration required by the bill would provide the Government with the means of keeping track of and controlling the influx of these people. Concerns that the bill will thwart the intent of the Refugee Act which eliminated preferential treatment of persons seeking political asylum from specific countries are equally groundless. Mr. Chairman. this is an Important bill.