[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 19 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




BILL TO PROVIDE FOR PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR CERTAIN PERSIAN GULF 
                                EVACUEES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 1997

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to provide 
for the permanent resident status for certain Persian Gulf War 
Evacuees.
  During the Persian Gulf War, the United States decided to evacuate 
some 200 families, approximately 2,000 individuals, the majority of 
whom are stateless Palestinians, who had been living in Kuwait. The 
United States Government evacuated these families to the United States 
after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait but before the United States military 
intervention in that conflict, because the families all had American 
children and some had harbored American citizens during Iraq's 
occupation.
  The families initially were given temporary protected status, and 
before President Bush left office he approved deferred enforced 
departure [DED] for the families. This status was continued each year 
thereafter by President Clinton. However, on December 31, 1996, the 
White House did not continue the DED status. Once in the United States, 
these families began making a life, including having additional 
children. The majority of the families have received permanent 
residency status. However, approximately 47 families have not received 
permanent residency status and have now suddenly found themselves faced 
with deportation. Kuwait will not accept them back into the country. 
Most of the parents hold Jordanian passports, but are not necessarily 
Jordanian citizens. Even if Jordan could accept them, Jordan is already 
burdened with tens of thousands of Palestinians who left Kuwait during 
the War. In addition, in Jordan the families will have no economic 
assistance, no jobs in an economy that is already burdened with 
unemployed people, and no health care for their children. This will all 
work to create severe hardship on the children who are American 
citizens and essentially will sentence them to a life of 
impoverishment.
  These families are principally composed of professionals and 
technical people who are dependent upon no one for their support in the 
United States except by their own labor. They have maintained an 
excellent record of citizens training. They are a definite asset to 
this country.
  Mr. Speaker, going through with the deportation would be an act of 
great injustice for a small group of people who did not ask to be 
evacuated here in the first place. But now that they are here, fairness 
would require that they be permitted to adjust their status so that 
they may continue to raise their American citizen children in this 
society.
  Mr. Speaker, I call upon my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring 
this legislation to allow this small group to adjust their status to 
permanent residents [immigrants]. Many of the families placed 
themselves at grave risk by harboring American citizens during Iraq's 
occupation of Kuwait--keeping them safe until they could leave or until 
American intervention could drive the Iraqi's out.
  Deporting these few [47] families with American-born children is not 
the way for a grateful Nation to show its thanks. Enacting this bill, 
granting them permanent immigrant status, is.

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