Mr. President. I have come to the floor to speak about my amendment to improve our Nations treatment of asylum seekers. This amendment would implement the key recommendations of the congressionally established U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. which 2 years ago issued a report raising serious concerns about the protections offered asylum seekers arriving in this country. I think it is worth noting that the Commission that issued this report was established by Congress in 1998 as a result of legislation first introduced by Senator SPECTER. in concert with the efforts of Senators NICKLES. BROWNBACK. myself. and several others. Senator SPECTER should be proud of that work and accomplishment. I hope we can see this amendment as one of the fruits of that labor. The Commission reported an unacceptable risk that genuine asylum seekers were being turned away because their fearsand the real dangersof being returned to their home countries were not fully considered. The Commission also found that while asylum seekers are having their applications considered. they are often detained for months in maximum security prisons and jails. without ever having been fairly considered for release on bond. The Commission described conditions of detention that are completely unacceptable for a just nation to impose on people who are trying to escape war. oppression. religious persecution. even torture. Since the Commissions report was issued.
Keywords matched
asylum seekers