[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16940-16941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 3765

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I see the majority leader is on the floor. 
I will make a unanimous consent request. I would like to very briefly 
describe what I am about to request.
  I have filed S. 3765, along with Senator Sununu as my cosponsor, as 
well as Senator Feingold and Senator Stabenow.
  This is a bill that is very timely and important. I hope we will be 
able to have unanimous consent to go forward with this bill and pass it 
this evening.
  It is a bill that has been referred to the Senate Judiciary 
Committee.
  I have personally spoken to Senator Arlen Specter, chairman of this 
committee, and told am I was going to make this unanimous consent 
request this evening. He said he would not object. Those were his exact 
words.
  Senator Leahy said the same thing.
  The reason I am taking this extraordinary step is because this is an 
extraordinary situation. We all know what happened in Lebanon today. 
You can't turn on the news without being

[[Page 16941]]

aware of the war that has consumed both southern Lebanon and many parts 
of northern Israel.
  We realize as well that many people are innocent victims on both 
sides of the border, and we realize that the United States has 
officially evacuated American citizens from Lebanon because of the 
danger.
  We are also very aware of the fact that we have asked other Americans 
who remained to remove themselves as quickly as possible. It is 
estimated that 20 to 25 percent of the population of Lebanon has now 
been displaced. They are refugees--people who have been forced to leave 
their homes because of the danger of remaining because of the 
hostilities that continue between Israel and Hezbollah.
  The purpose of this legislation is not new. It is something that has 
been done repeatedly. It grants temporary protected status to those 
Lebanese visitors in the United States who are legally here on visas 
which permit them to be here and which may soon expire. When they do, 
under the law these people are expected to leave the United States and 
return to Lebanon.
  We have in the past been sensitized to the fact that sending many of 
these families from the United States to war-torn countries under these 
circumstances may in fact endanger those families.
  The United States has many, many times in the past said we will grant 
temporary protected status to visitors in the United States to protect 
them from returning to a dangerous situation.
  It is an act of compassion, an act of humanitarian caring, and I 
think speaks well of the United States. In the past we have even 
granted this status to Lebanese visitors when Lebanon was at war in the 
1990s for the very same reason.
  Today, there are seven countries around the world where the United 
States has granted temporary protected status to visitors from those 
countries in the United States.
  This temporary protected status does not put these visitors on a path 
to legalization or citizenship. It simply allows them if they wish to 
stay in the U.S. while the hostilities continue up to a year. It would 
be a renewal after that point.
  The reason I offered it at this late hour is because it is a matter 
of great urgency. It is important that we do this in a timely fashion.
  As we consider this measure, the Bush administration is considering 
whether to do this administratively, which they can. We have done it 
legislatively. It has been done administratively.
  My concern is that tomorrow I am certain some Lebanese visitors to 
the U.S. will find that their visas have expired, and they will face a 
very difficult decision. If they comply with the law and leave, 
returning to Lebanon, they could be endangering families and children 
who are here innocently visiting members of their family and friends. 
We don't want that to happen. These poor people from Lebanon, these 
innocent victims, should not have to return to this scene.
  Of course, our State Department and the Department of Homeland 
Security would retain the authority to review each and every person. If 
for any reason some Lebanese visitor to the United States should not be 
allowed to remain in the United States, they can be denied the status. 
So it is done on a case-by-case basis. It offers a protection, which I 
think is the humanitarian thing to do.
  Throughout history there have been times when in the course of war 
people have turned refugees from their country, left their country and 
turned to other countries for refuge. In many instances, countries have 
welcomed them understanding that that is the right and humane thing to 
do. In other instances, countries have shunned them. Those countries 
have been embarrassed by the history that was written afterwards.
  I am lucky to be a Senator in this great country, a country which has 
extended this generosity and this welcome time and time again.
  I am urging my colleagues this evening to join me in passing this 
bill, an extraordinary passage by unanimous consent so that we can send 
a clear message to the administration and to the Lebanese visitors to 
the United States that we deeply care about their safety and their 
security.
  I see the majority leader is on the floor. I will make the formal 
unanimous consent request.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged 
from further consideration of S. 3765, the Lebanese Temporary Protected 
Status bill that has been introduced by myself, Senator Sununu, Senator 
Feingold, and Senator Stabenow, that the Senate proceed to its 
immediate consideration, the bill be read a third time and passed, and 
the motion reconsider be laid upon the table without any intervening 
action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, reserving right to object, S. 3765 to 
permit nationals being granted temporary protected status in United 
States is a bill that I personally support. And the chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee commented to the distinguished assistant minority 
leader his support. I just received it 15 minutes ago. I am trying to 
clear it but have not heard back from everybody tonight.
  Without giving everyone the opportunity to review it, I am going to 
have to object tonight.
  Again, we will see what happens over the next 30 or 40 minutes that 
we are in tonight. Not having heard back from everyone, I am unable to 
verify. So I do object.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I understand. I gave this to the majority 
leader maybe 45 minutes ago at most. I certainly didn't want to try to 
surprise him and mislead him because I think this is a matter that is 
very important. I sincerely hope we can clear this tonight. If we are 
unable to clear this and pass this legislation--or even if we do--I 
urge Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Homeland Security Department, 
to grant this status to Lebanon and to do it immediately--immediately. 
The people of Lebanon cannot wait until Congress returns to Washington 
in September. And his immediate action will save lives and give peace 
of mind to a lot of our friends from Lebanon and to their families who 
live in the United States.
  I yield the floor.

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