[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24910]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



CALLING ON MEMBERS TO INCLUDE PROVISIONS OF IMMIGRATION FAIRNESS ACT IN 
                      FINAL COMMERCE-JUSTICE BILL

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am here this morning to call on my 
colleagues to include the provisions of the Immigration Fairness Act in 
the final Commerce-Justice bill. In my district as in all of yours, we 
have families that have been awaiting reconciliation with their loved 
ones for years. Families need to be together.
  It is also unreasonable for someone to be made to leave the country 
to apply for a change of status here. It creates undue hardship, and it 
just makes no sense. We witness even in our small community the 
different ways that immigrants in the Caribbean are treated by Federal 
agencies. Illegal entries from the other side of the globe get 
preferential treatment compared to, for example, Haitian immigrants 
from our own region.
  Lastly, we have asked for years for a shopping visa so our Caribbean 
neighbors could visit the U.S. Virgin Islands for short periods. The 
visa waiver program has been made permanent, and the Caribbean is still 
waiting.
  The provisions of the bill would finally bring fairness to the 
process, support families and finally see our neighbors from the 
Caribbean, Liberia and Central America treated fairly. It must be a 
part of the conference report.

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