[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPULSION OF HUMANITARIAN WORKERS CALLS INTO QUESTION MOROCCO'S 
             COMMITMENT TO THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2010

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, on Monday, the King of Morocco travelled to 
New York to address the UN General Assembly Summit on the Millennium 
Development Goals, which seek to improve the quality of life for people 
around the world. I urge Obama Administration officials to seize this 
opportunity to meet with the King and raise the plight of the dozens of 
U.S. citizens that have been expelled from or denied reentry into 
Morocco without access to due process.
  As a result of the deportations a number of humanitarian 
organizations which were run by U.S. citizens and provided vital 
community services have been shuttered: Individuals such as Eddie and 
Lynn Padilla of Colorado who worked in an orphanage caring for young 
Moroccan children who were abandoned at birth; and Michael Cloud of 
Texas, who ran therapy centers for children with disabilities across 
the country; and scores of American teachers and educators who sought 
to improve access to education for Moroccan children.
  Many of these individuals resided legally in Morocco for decades and 
had a deep love for their adopted country. Their work supported 
Millennium Development Goals such as child health and universal 
education. In his address to the General Assembly on Monday, the King 
of Morocco expressed his support for and commitment to these lofty 
goals. Meanwhile, his government turned out dozens of U.S. citizens and 
foreign nationals whose work supported the same goals for which the 
King professed his support.
  If the King of Morocco is truly serious about his commitment to 
achieving the Millennium Development goals, his government should 
immediately and unconditionally allow those expelled or denied reentry 
to return. The U.S. government should press for nothing less.

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