[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 30, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H7362-H7365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENDING ELIGIBILITY FOR REFUGEE STATUS OF UNMARRIED SONS AND
DAUGHTERS OF CERTAIN VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 1840) to extend eligibility for refugee status of
unmarried sons and daughters of certain Vietnamese refugees, as
amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1840
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY FOR REFUGEE STATUS.
(a) Eligibility for In-Country Refugee Processing in
Vietnam.--For purposes of eligibility for in-country refugee
processing for nationals of Vietnam during fiscal years 2002
and 2003, an alien described in subsection (b) shall be
considered to be a refugee of special humanitarian concern to
the United States (within the meaning of section 207 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157)) and shall be
admitted to the United States for resettlement if the alien
would be admissible as an immigrant under the Immigration and
Nationality Act (except as provided in section 207(c)(3) of
that Act).
(b) Aliens Covered.--An alien described in this subsection
is an alien who--
(1) is the son or daughter of a qualified national;
(2) is 21 years of age or older; and
(3) was unmarried as of the date of acceptance of the
alien's parent for resettlement under the Orderly Departure
Program or through the United States Consulate General in Ho
Chi Minh City.
(c) Qualified National.--The term ``qualified national'' in
subsection (b)(1) means a national of Vietnam who--
(1)(A) was formerly interned in a re-education camp in
Vietnam by the Government of the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam; or
(B) is the widow or widower of an individual described in
subparagraph (A);
(2)(A) qualified for refugee processing under the Orderly
Departure Program re-education subprogram; and
(B) is or was accepted under the Orderly Departure Program
or through the United States Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh
City--
(i) for resettlement as a refugee; or
(ii) for admission to the United States as an immediate
relative immigrant; and
(3)(A) is presently maintaining a residence in the United
States or whose surviving spouse is presently maintaining
such a residence; or
(B) was approved for refugee resettlement or immigrant visa
processing and is awaiting departure formalities from Vietnam
or whose surviving spouse is awaiting such departure
formalities.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Nadler) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner)
General Leave
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days
[[Page H7363]]
within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include
extraneous material on H.R. 1840, the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Wisconsin?
There was no objection.
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1840 extends eligibility for refugee status of
unmarried sons and daughters of certain Vietnamese refugees. It stems
from the Orderly Departure Program which was established in 1979 to
give eligible nationals of Vietnam an alternative method of emigrating
to a foreign country, rather than undertake illegal hazardous
departures by boat or land.
In 1989, the INS began adjudicating applications for refugee status
in Vietnam for certain Vietnamese nationals who had been in reeducation
camps for at least 3 years and widows of Vietnamese nationals who died
as a result of confinement in the reeducation camps. The INS included
unmarried sons and daughters 21 years and older based on case
eligibility guidelines set up by the State Department 10 years earlier.
However, this contradicted immigration regulations. INS had been
treating those unmarried sons and daughters as derivative refugees, but
the Immigration regulations defined derivative refugees as spouses and
unmarried children under 21 years of age.
In April of 1995, the INS, with concurrence of the State Department,
stopped accepting sons and daughters 21 years of age or older. In
response to this modification, the McCain amendment was enacted to
reestablish refugee eligibility to unmarried adult sons and daughters
of the qualifying Vietnamese nationals. The legislation was retroactive
to April 1, 1995, the date on which the modification had taken effect.
It was extended in 1998.
The INS has denied derivative refugee status to those unmarried sons
and daughters who failed to prove their family relationship with the
principal applicant. The INS mistakenly denied some for no proof of
family relationship when the applicant could not show he or she
continuously resided with the parent. After determining that it was
incorrectly denying some derivatives based on co-residency, the INS
identified the entire caseload of improperly adjudicated derivative
family member cases. The agency had until September 30, 2001 to correct
the cases adjudicated on or after April 1, 1995, where the original
denial was based solely on the issue of co-residency with the principal
applicant.
The INS needs additional time to adjudicate pending cases under the
McCain amendment. As such, H.R. 1840 extends the time to adjudicate
these cases by 2 years. The intent of H.R. 1840 is to extend the same
eligibility criteria applied to cases currently being processed under
the McCain amendment to individuals whose parent's case was processed
prior to April 1, 1995. Accordingly, the act removes the date of April
1, 1995, imposed by the McCain amendment.
In addition to failure to prove co-residency, the INS has denied some
cases because the applicants were unable to prove their family
relationship to a principal applicant. Due to new identification
methods, such as DNA, H.R. 1840 permits the INS to reconsider cases
that were previously denied for failure of proof rather than just those
cases that were denied based on the issue of cohabitation with the
principal alien.
Finally, some sons and daughters have been denied derivative refugee
status because their principal applicant parent has died, although the
surviving parent resides in the United States or is awaiting departure
formalities from Vietnam. Accordingly, H.R. 1840 expands eligibility to
include these adult unmarried sons and daughters.
The bill has the support of its author, the State Department, the
Justice Department, the INS, and it passed the Committee on the
Judiciary unanimously. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserves the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill. It is a reasonable bill
that is based on a bipartisan agreement between members of the
Committee on International Relations and the Committee on the
Judiciary. The bill passed the Committee on the Judiciary by a voice
vote.
Prior to April 1, 1995, refugees accepted for resettlement into the
United States were allowed to bring their sons and daughters, even
those above the age of 21, so long as they had never married and were
members of the refugee parent's household. On April 1, 1995, the INS
changed its interpretation of the then existing law to exclude children
who were over 21, even if they were unmarried and living with their
parents.
{time} 1415
Mr. Speaker, in the case of South Vietnamese combat veterans and
others who had suffered long terms in reeducation camps because of
their wartime associations with the United States, this imposed a
particularly harsh burden on the refugees and their children. These
children had already been without their fathers throughout the time
they were in reeducation camps, in some cases for 10 or 15 years.
The new rule was particularly harsh on young women. In Vietnamese
society, a 21- or 22-year-old unmarried woman either lives with her
parents or she is regarded as vulnerable and unprotected.
Recognizing these realities, Congress has three times adopted the
McCain amendment, which changes the INS interpretation of the law, so
that refugees who are survivors of reeducation camps can once again be
accompanied by their unmarried young sons and daughters.
Due to drafting mistake, the provision excluded sons and daughters
who were mistakenly rejected before April 1, 1995. This bill will fix
this problem once and for all, simply by enacting the very same rules
for pre-April 1995 cases that already apply by law to cases after April
1, 1995. It is simple legislation, and it cures an injustice. It harms
nobody, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).
(Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to revise
and extend his remarks.)
Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his
courtesy and consideration in bringing this bill to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for H.R. 1840, a
bill which will extend eligibility for refugee status of unmarried sons
and daughters of certain Vietnamese refugees.
The Communist government of Vietnam, by its actions in imprisoning
Catholic priests, Buddhist monks, and ordinary citizens whose only
crime is to speak out for freedom and democracy is saying loudly and
clearly and consistently to the United States, we want American
investment dollars and we are willing to learn from the American
economic system, but American values of religious and political freedom
are not welcomed.
We need to do more to respond to this message of oppression with our
own message of freedom. Human rights needs to be central to our foreign
policy toward Vietnam. One small step is to save as many as possible of
the people who are still being persecuted by the Communist authorities
because of their wartime associations with the United States, or simply
because they share our values.
Mr. Speaker, until 1995, those refugees who were eligible to resettle
in the United States under the HO component of the Orderly Departure
Program, which is limited to persons who served 3 or more years in
reeducation camps after the Communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975, were
allowed to bring their children with them. This policy included
unmarried children who had reached the age of 21 during the period of
the refugee's incarceration or during the long wait to receive an exit
visa from the Communist authorities.
I introduced this resolution several months ago to address a specific
immigration concern. Until April 1, 1995, former Vietnamese prisoners
of war who were accepted for resettlement by
[[Page H7364]]
the United States as refugees could bring their sons and daughters,
even those above the age of 21, so long as they had never married and
were members of the refugee parent's household. On April 1, 1995, INS
changed its interpretation of the then-existing law to exclude children
who were over 21, even if they were unmarried and living with their
parents. This abrupt decision reversed our humanitarian pro-family
policy. This change in policy forced a brutal choice on ex-political
prisoners: either decline the opportunity to find freedom in the United
States, or abandon their children in a country that has persecuted
them.
In 1996 Congress adopted the McCain amendment to make clear that
unmarried adult sons and daughters of reeducation camp internees are
refugees of special humanitarian concern under U.S. law. Unfortunately,
difficulties in interpretation and implementation of this provision
have left hundreds of refugee families still separated.
For South Vietnamese combat veterans and others who had suffered long
terms in reeducation camps because of their wartime associations with
us, this imposed a particularly harsh burden on both them and their
children. These children had already been without their fathers when
they were in reeducation camps, in some cases for 10 or 15 years. Then
the refugees were given a choice between living forever under a
Communist dictatorship or leaving their children behind when they
immigrated to the United States. These children are marked as members
of a counterrevolutionary family and denied educational and employment
opportunities by the Government of Vietnam. They would certainly go on
suffering in Vietnam because of their families' participation in the
war.
Additionally, the new INS rule was particularly harsh to young women.
In Vietnamese society, a 21- or 22-year-old girl either lives with her
parents or is regarded as vulnerable and unprotected.
Recognizing these realities, Congress on three occasions adopted the
McCain amendment which changed the INS interpretation of the law so
that refugees who are survivors of reeducation camps can once again be
accompanied by their unmarried sons and daughters.
The latest extension expired on September 30. My bill will extend the
McCain amendment for 2 years and fix a drafting problem in the
language. This bill will allow over-21 unmarried sons and daughters and
widows of qualified reeducation detainees to be considered for
resettlement as refugees to the United States, regardless of the date
of acceptance.
H.R. 1840 is a fair and equitable bill that will provide family
reunification and allow us to keep our promise to the people who fought
alongside U.S. troops during the Vietnam War. Their courage and valor
must never be forgotten.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey) and the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) for their leadership, and
their respective staffs. I urge my colleagues to give this legislation
their support.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Moran).
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Nadler) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner),
and I particularly want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom
Davis) for introducing this legislation.
This would appear to be a minor, technical correction; but it makes a
major change in the lives of a great many American families. I use the
term ``American families'' deliberately. I challenge Members to find
any group of immigrants any more committed to the United States and its
values than Vietnamese refugees. The Vietnamese American families are
extremely patriotic. They put many of us to shame.
The fact is that their sons and daughters are being stigmatized,
penalized because of their family ties. The limitations, both social
and economic that are placed on them, are unfair. The right thing to do
is to let them be reunited with their families. This is a good bill. I
am glad it is going to pass unanimously.
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger).
(Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.
Sensenbrenner) for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, upon assuming control of the entire nation of Vietnam,
the Communist Government imprisoned many of its citizens in reeducation
camps where they endured brutal conditions. Many died due to abuse and
deprivation. Most of those placed in these camps were sent there
because of their service to the governments of South Vietnam and the
United States during the Vietnam War.
In 1979, the Orderly Departure Program was created to provide a way
for the immediate relatives of those who spent 3 years or more in those
camps, and the widows of those who died in the camps to immigrate to
the United States. I know a number of these people who now reside in my
congressional district and work in a business that I founded. They are
productive and patriotic citizens.
However, when the deadline to register for the program expired, many
qualified beneficiaries were left behind. The bill of the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), H.R. 1840, will offer these individuals
an opportunity to be considered for admission under the Ordinary
Departure Program through the fiscal year 2003. I support the bill. It
is a fair and honorable way to help the families of the brave men and
women who endured great suffering for their service to the cause of
democracy and their support of the American military and civilian
personnel during the Vietnam War.
Mr. Speaker, I ask Members to vote for H.R. 1840.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R.
1840, which seeks to correct a technical flaw in the immigration and
naturalization processes pertaining to refugees of Vietnam and their
adult children.
In 1989 the INS granted refugee status to Vietnamese citizens
imprisoned in Vietnamese forced reeducation camps. Approximately 200
adult children of those detained in camps were mistakenly denied
admission into the United States due to a 1995 change in INS
regulations. These regulations have since been changed to correct this
error.
Current law stated that INS was to review all such applications by
September 30, 2001. This deadline has been outfaced by events, and H.R.
1840 fixes this problem by extending the reapplication deadline to
September 2003. I support this legislation because it seeks to remedy
an injustice, and because the remedy it provides is comprehensive and
narrowly constructed.
H.R. 1840 allows for petitions denied both before and after April
1995 to be reexamined for erroneous denials. Also, this bill will allow
adult unmarried children with only one surviving parent with U.S.
residency claims to apply as well. This is a further example of how
successful our immigration policies can be at promoting societal
stability. This legislation recognizes and rewards family bonds. It
does so in a way that recognizes the temporal importance of remedying
this problem for the health and well being of those Vietnamese refugees
involved.
Mr. Speaker, many communities, including my own district in Houston,
Texas enjoy thriving Vietnamese populations as a result of immigration.
H.R. 1840 promotes greater stability in those communities, as adults
who are growing older will be allowed to do so with increased peace of
mind that their loved ones might be able to help them grow old with
love and dignity. These benefits surely redound to larger society as
well by promoting stable families and safer communities. I therefore
urge members to support this legislation.
Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1840, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
[[Page H7365]]
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