| WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today hailed the passage
of two bills that restore a measure of fairness and equity to immigration
law.
H.R.
5062 is a bill that would repeal harsh deportation provisions included
in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Control and Immigrant Responsibility Act
(IIRIRA) and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA).
H.R. 5062 would change the law so that legal permanent residents who have
committed minor crimes prior to the enactment of the 1996 laws would not
be deported. Also included in H.R. 5062 is a provision that would allow
immigrants who have already been deported under the retroactive provisions
to apply for readmission to the United States, thus allowing reunification
of families.
“People
who are in the United States legally should not have to live under a different
set of rules. Paying the price for committing a minor infraction
should not mean a one way ticket out of the United States,” Schakowsky
said.
Under
H.R. 5062, a legal permanent resident, who entered the United States in
1970 and was later convicted for shoplifting in 1985, and fully served
his sentence, would be deported because of the 1996 immigration law.
The permanent resident would be thrown into deportation proceedings and
would not be allowed to apply for relief to stay in the United States.
“The
provisions in the 1996 immigration law devastated families, causing many
legal immigrants to live away from their children, spouses, and parents.
H.R. 5062 is a critical step in righting the wrongs of the 1996 immigration
law,” Schakowsky added.
H.R.
2883 would confer automatic citizenship to adopted foreign-born children
of U.S. citizens. Currently, in addition to the extensive paperwork
that U.S. citizens must complete to finalize the adoption of their foreign
born child, they must fill out additional paperwork for citizenship.
“As
the aunt of Korean born Jamie and Natalie, I strongly identify with this
issue. With the passage of H.R. 2883, we are sending a clear message
to American parents that, should they choose to adopt a child from another
country, U.S. citizenship will be awaiting that child once he or she sets
foot on U.S. soil,” Schakowsky said. |
