Speech #1010099268

Mr. Speaker. I am offering a motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 2712. the Emergency Chinese Immigration Relief Act of 1989. to agree to the provisions of Senator ARMSTRONGS amendment to the bill. This amendment codifies and expands the Department of Justices policy to require asylum and refugee adjudicators to give the fullest consideration to applications from Chinese nationals who express a fear of persecution because they resist abortion or sterilization In violation of Chinese Communist Party population control directives. The amendment simply clarifies a "wellfounded fear of persecution" and establishes refugee status to those PRC nationals who seek this type of asylum. China today exercises one of the worlds most repugnant population control programs ever enacted by any civilized nation. Forced sterilization and forced abortion are common under Chinas one couple. one child policy. Although we cannot change Chinas barbarIc practices. we can end United States assistance to this practice. Until 1988. the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] routinely deported Chinese nationals requesting asylum because of their fear of reprisal for their decision to have more than one child. However. in August 1988 Edwin Meese. then Attorney general. issued a series of policy guidelines directing the Commissioner of INS to give careful consideration to applicants who seek asylum because they fear persecution for their failure to comply with Chinas population control policy. Attorney General Thornburgh reissued them in July of this year. I am outraged to report that earlier this year. regardless of these guidelines. the INS appealed a U.S. Immigration Court decision to grant asylum to a victim of Chinas coercive population control measures. It was not until after pressure from numerous public officials. that the INS withdrew its appeal. The fact remains. however. that the Board of Immigration Appeals says these policy guidelines are directed only at the INS and are not binding upon the Board of Appeals. Hence. the next Chinese national fearing persecution on the basis of Chinas coercive population control policies may easily be deported. The amendment enjoys particularly strong support in the Senate. and also the House. The Senate is on record 95 to 0 in support.