Speech #1050072157

Madam Speaker. last year In a combination of procedural outrage and substantive outrage. we enacted into law. over the objection of myself and many others. provisions which made deportation automatic in a number of cases where deportation is inhumane. disruptive not just to individuals. but to other countries. and wholly unjustified. No society has an obligation to tolerate within its midst people who are a danger to others. people who disrupt the lives of others. We have had deportation laws on the books to protect us in those situations. although they have not always been enforced with the vigor which should have obtained. Last year. reacting to the terrorism and other things that happened. we passed legislation to try to improve our internal security. Much of that was sensible and I voted for it. Some of it was simply abusive. demagogic. and cruel. One example was what we did in deportation. What we said was. in effect. if one has ever been convicted of a felony. one will be automatically deported. despite the virulence of the offense. and in particular. regardless of whether or not in the interim one had become a good citizen. Let me give an example of what this outrageous law now requires. I recently received a letter. in July. just before we broke. from Michael Carter from the Center of Health and Human Services. a drug treatment center in my district. He told me about a client of his. He says. this man has been in recovery for 6 years and he is receiving treatment. Due to recent changes in immigration laws. he is being deported due to a charge of possession of heroin in 1989. Since that time. he has had no further incidents. but he is being deported. Let me read this essay from this dangerous criminal that this Congress is insisting be deported. and let me make it very clear. this is not the fault of the Immigration Service. They have to deport this man because we made it mandatory. foolishly. cruelly. and without justification. Dear Congressman.