Speech #1040204689

There my motion would have required a recommitting of the whole conference report. a great burden to overcome. As a matter of fact. I had a number of Senators come up to me and say. "Why do you not do this on the immigration bill? We will have a lot easier time voting for you on the immigration bill." Well. God bless you all. you will now have a chance to vote with me on the immigration bill. In addition. that motion did not include the creation of authority for the Attorney General to declare a special migration situation of immigration emergency. The amendment I offer today includes such provisions. Further. when we talk about the people coming in with false passports fleeing persecution. they do not get a hearing under the bill. They get an interview. They get an interview by whoever is there at the border. and they can get kicked out right then and there. It is cruel. it is fundamentally unfair to a traumatized and fatigued refugee. who would be allowed no assistance and no interpreter. to treat them so summarily. The kind of screening process provided in the bill will mean an investment of enormous resources for a special .screening that we do not need. We would be requiring extra resources to do an ineffectual job. In 1995. for example. after our asylum processes were reformed. we had only 3.287 asylum seekers who arrived without valid documents. They could be handled through the normal process. They do not have to be bounced out following some truncated and confusing interview. As we have heard. these people have faced such traumatic experiences. They are not likely to be prepared to respond when hit with that first. all important interview. We reformed. in 1994 and 1995. our asylum processes. The Justice Department can handle it very well under my amendment. Do not confuse illegal immigrants with refugees. This bill would establish summary exclusion procedures for refugees seeking to claim asylum. It would give lowlevel immigration officers unprecedented authority to deport refugees without allowing them a fair opportunity to establish valid claims. These provisions should not even be in this bill. if it is intended to focus on the problems of illegal immigration. Refugees who seek asylum in the United States are not causing problems for America and Americans. They come to us for refuge. They come to us for protection.