Mr. Chairman. I rise In full support of H.R. 3844. the Haitian Refugee Protection Act and want to commend my colleagues for their speedy response to this crisis. Additionally. I lend my support to my colleague. Mr. CoNYERS amendment. I believe that it is critical that this bill protect all Haitian refugees who have fled. not just those fleeing before February 5. I stand here today to ask you. my colleagues. to have compassion for the Haitian refugees who have fled their country because they fear political persecution. The actions that have been taken by the U.S. Government and the highest court in this country are deplorable. We are supposed to be a compassionate nation. a nation that cares about the world community. and now we refuse to take a moral stance to assist the Haitians simply because they are poor and people of color. We ought to be consistent in our refugee policy whether for Eastern Europeans or Haitians. The United States Embassy in Haiti has noted that there have been reports of killings. police harassment. illegal searches. and looting of private homes and arrests without warrants. by Haitis de facto government. In addition. Amnesty International has reported hundreds of executions. beatings and political arrests after the coup. with the repression centered on the supporters of the ousted President. What additional proof does the President need to show that these refugees are escaping political persecution and not economic persecution? Our own Embassy has provided proof enough. Hundreds of Haitians have been returned without an adequate review process. We know that Haiti is closely monitoring these returns by fingerprinting each refugee. Today we have the opportunity to ensure that our hands are not bloodstained. Support this amendment and this billLets stop these illegal deportations.
Keywords matched
deportations Refugee refugee refugees