Collado was arrested upon arrival in New York and was held without bail for 201 days at the INS Detention Facility at the York County Prison in York. Pennsylvania. The Illegal Immigration and Immigrant Responsibility Act was meant to keep serious criminals out of the United States. It was not meant to exclude those who have resided here legally for a quarter century because of a misdemeanor committed as a teenager. Might I add that LAMAR SMITH. the chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee seems to agree with me. In Anthony Lewis December 22. 1997 column in the New York Times. Mr. SMITH remarked that Jesus Collados case "obviously tugs at your heart. Clearly this is an instance where humanitarian considerations should be taken into account. I believe in redemption and I believe it should be granted generously." Ultimately. the Immigration and Naturalization Service must be given discretion in the implementation of this Act. But Mr. Collado and his family need relief now. Today I am introducing private relief legislation for Mr. Collado to establish that his misdemeanor is not grounds for inadmissibility. deportation or denial of citizenship. Representative NYDIA VELXZQUEZ. who has worked tirelessly on Mr. Collados behalf. has introduced a similar measure in the House of Representatives.
Keywords matched
Illegal Immigration Immigration Naturalization Immigrant deportation