Text 8343, 115 rader
Skriven 2005-02-01 10:16:00 av Darryl Perry (1:106/324)
Ärende: Faith-Based Groups Oppose Immigration Bill
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"We believe public policy based on fear, false premise or misleading
information is something we cannot accept. The Episcopal Church has long
spoken out against further reduction of asylum opportunity," Parkins said. 

Sounds like Parkins is describing the Conservatives and the Repulican party.
Even the conservatives are at odds with their own constituents, given how
they are driving a 'faith based' agenda.



Faith-Based Groups Oppose Immigration Bill 

Sun Jan 30,11:59 PM ET   Politics - AP 
 

By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associate Press Writer 

WASHINGTON - Several faith-based groups oppose a Republican-sponsored
immigration and border security bill that could move quickly through the
House with a spending package for the wars in Iraq (news - web sites) and
Afghanistan (news - web sites).    

The groups say the bill sponsored by House Judiciary Committee (news - web
sites) Chairman James Sensenbrenner proposes asylum law changes that would
hurt refugees fleeing religious persecution and should be debated in full
committee hearings. 

But Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, says the changes will prevent
would-be terrorists from slipping into the country by abusing the asylum
system. 

The changes are tucked into a bill that seeks to prevent illegal immigrants
from getting drivers' licenses and to complete a fence on the
California-Mexico border. 

"We support effective immigration enforcement and measures to increase our
national security," said Gideon Aronoff, vice president of government
relations and policy at the New York-based Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. But
Sensenbrenner's asylum proposals "would inflict serious hardship on victims
of persecution, torture and trauma who rightly look to the U.S. as a beacon
of hope," Aronoff said. 

Sensenbrenner's proposals were among measures that stalled an intelligence
overhaul bill last year. To move the bill, House leaders removed the
measures and told Sensenbrenner he could piggyback his measures on the first
"must pass" legislation on the House floor this session. That's likely to be
the Iraq and Afghanistan wars spending package. 

Sensenbrenner's bill would require asylum seekers to prove the central
reason for their persecution. It would allow judges more discretion in
deciding whether the asylum applicant must provide corroborating evidence.
Higher courts could not overturn the judge's decision on providing evidence. 

"I think it's important to give judges and the immigration service the tools
to be able to handle people who are using the asylum system for illegitimate
purpose, in order to protect the asylum system for those who are genuine
applicants for asylum," Sensenbrenner said. 

His proposals are particularly aimed at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals,
which he said issued a decision that prevents an immigration law judge from
considering the credibility of an asylum applicant in deciding whether the
claim is legitimate. 

"That just flies in the face of American jurisprudence," Sensenbrenner said. 

Sensenbrenner regularly cites as examples of asylum abuse the cases of Ramzi
Yousef, who masterminded the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Hesham
Mohamed Hadayet, who fatally shot two people at the ticket counter of El Al,
Israel's national airlines, in the Los Angeles airport in 2002. 

But religious and human rights groups say Sensenbrenner is citing flawed
examples. Asylum laws were changed in 1995 and 1996 in response to the first
World Trade Center bombing, the groups said. 

The Los Angeles airport shooting was a deportation enforcement problem, they
said. Hadayet, who was killed by a security guard, had been denied asylum
but failed to show up for his deportation hearing. He later became a U.S.
resident after his wife won residency through the U.S. visa lottery system. 

Richard Parkins, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries, said
Sensenbrenner's asylum provisions are based on a false premise that the
threat of terrorism is reduced by making asylum benefits less accessible. 

"We believe public policy based on fear, false premise or misleading
information is something we cannot accept. The Episcopal Church has long
spoken out against further reduction of asylum opportunity," Parkins said. 

Houston Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (news, bio, voting record), who
serves on the Judiciary Committee, said Congress should require a short
study of the asylum system. 

"What I'm afraid of is that women fleeing persecution, sexual trafficking
and children who have been abused ... for slave labor and other political
refugees ... will be hurt unfairly," Jackson Lee said. 

Other religious groups opposing the asylum changes are the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and World
Relief, a program of the National Association of Evangelicals. They are
joined by Human Rights First and Amnesty International. 

Sensenbrenner's bill had 115 co-sponsors, including one Democrat, as of
Monday. 

Texas co-sponsors are Republican Reps. Joe Barton of Ennis; Kevin Brady, The
Woodlands; Michael Burgess, Flower Mound; Louie Gohmert, Tyler; Lamar Smith,
San Antonio; John Carter, Round Rock; John Culberson, Houston; Jeb
Hensarling, Dallas; Sam Johnson, Plano; Michael McCaul, Austin; Randy
Neugebauer, Lubbock and Pete Sessions, Dallas. 

Gryphon, aka Darryl Perry
Sysop of Cyberia BBS, Kingwood, TX.
telnet://cyberia.darktech.org

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