 Frank pushes bill to soften deportation laws
MICHAEL W. FREEMAN, Herald News Staff Reporter
March 09, 2002
Despite a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment since the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks, a group of House Democrats is pushing to eliminate what they see as
unfair provisions in the nation's deportation laws. On Thursday, members of the
House Judiciary Committee -- including U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and U.S.
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. -- joined members of the Congressional Black Caucus
at a press conference in Washington, D.C.
They called for passage of the Restoration of Fairness in Immigration Law
Act of 2000, which Conyers said would restore "our nation's long-standing
compassion for individuals seeking to build a better life and reunite with their
families."
It's designed to reverse what the lawmakers see as a series of measures
that hurt the immigrant community.
"The bill restores fairness to the immigration process by making sure that
each person has a chance to have their case heard by a fair and impartial
decision maker," Conyers said.
"No one here is looking to give immigrants a free ride, just a fair
chance," Conyers said.
Frank had filed a similar bill in the past two sessions. It was twice
approved by the House, only to die in the U.S. Senate.
It would give the U.S. Immigration Service the discretion to take into
account the personal and family circumstances of people who are facing
deportation for certain categories of less serious crimes.
That discretion was taken away in 1996 when Congress approved a new
immigrant deportation law. It called for the automatic deportation of any
immigrant convicted of a felony, and the law was applied retroactively, to
crimes committed before 1996.
If Frank's bill becomes law, instead of facing virtually automatic
deportation in cases involving minor crimes committed before 1996, green card
holders with families and jobs in the United States could petition immigration
judges to let them stay in this country.
Conyers, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the bill
is being introduced to stop the scapegoating of the nation's immigrants.
"Since this nation's founding, more than 55 million immigrants from every
continent have settled in the United States," Conyers said. "Immigrants work
hard to make ends meet and pay taxes every day. They have lived in this country
for decades, married U.S. citizens, and raised their U.S.-citizen children."
Drafting laws that "single these people out for no other reason than their
status as immigrants," he said, "violate their fundamental right to fair
treatment."
Conyers accused Congress of pushing a "wave of anti-immigrant legislation"
since 1994, "playing on our worst fears and prejudices."
Recent proposals include plans to ban birthright citizenship, prohibit
bilingual ballots and limit the number of refugees allowed in this country.
The worst, he said, was the 1996 Welfare Reform Law cutting off federally
funded public benefits to immigrants.
"Recently we have seen the tragedy of September 11 used as an excuse for
even more assaults on the rights of immigrants," Conyers said. "The Justice
Department is now holding deportation hearings in secret and detaining
immigrants even after they are ordered released. The Attorney General (John
Ashcroft) is reducing both the independence and number of judges that handle the
appeals of immigration cases. We are fending off legislation almost daily
intended to reduce, if not eliminate, immigration to this country."
Conyers said it was important to extend basic protections to all people
living in this country, including legal immigrants.
"Those who urge us to restrict the due process rights of immigrants forget
the reason these rights were established in the first place," he said. "We grant
due process rights to citizens and non-citizens alike; not out of some
soft-hearted sentimentality, but because we believe that these rights form an
important cornerstone to maintaining civilized society."
The lawmakers pledged to make this bill just the first in a series of
measures aimed at providing more fairness for immigrants.
"Justice and fairness, as well as our own economic interests, demand no
less," Conyers said.
He and Frank were joined at the press conference by more than 60
immigration and advocacy groups, including the National Council of La Raza, the
American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Immigration and Refugee Services
of America, the National Immigration Forum, the American Civil Liberties Union,
and the National Organization of Women Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Michael W. Freeman may be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED].
ŠThe Herald News 2002
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