FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stephanie Faton at
718-773-3100

OWENS CONDEMNS PROCESSING OF HRIFA CASES

BROOKLYN, NY - Congressman Major Owens (D-NY) at a recent town meeting held in his district, received a vast amount of complaints from Haitian nationals regarding the Haitian Refugee and Immigration Fairness Act (HRIFA). These cases are taking an extraordinary long time to process. Learning of this disparity, Congressman Owens immediately contacted Gregory Christian, the director of the Nebraska Service Center (NSC), requesting that additional resources should be committed to these slow-moving applications.

"It would appear that there is an unjust ethnic disparity in the way these cases are handled compared to nationals from other countries who are seeking refuge in the United States," Owens said.  The Nebraska Service Center has been stuck processing cases that were filed in January 2000 for the past 19 months. In addition, once processed by NSC, these applicants are also subjected to long waiting periods for an interview in New York City. "This is totally unacceptable and must be rectified with the utmost urgency," Owens stated.

Approximately 25,000 Haitians in the United States applied for this Act, an initiative that began under the Clinton administration.

###