    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [August 5, 1999]
    [Page 1388]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress Transmitting Proposed Legislation To Support
    Democratization in Central America and Haiti
    August 5, 1999

    To the Congress of the United States:
        I am pleased to transmit for your immediate consideration and
    enactment the ``Central American and Haitian Parity Act of 1999.'' Also
    transmitted is a section-by-section analysis. This legislative proposal,
    which would amend the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief
    Act of 1997 (NACARA), is part of my Administration's comprehensive
    effort to support the process of democratization and stabilization now
    underway in Central America and Haiti and to ensure equitable treatment
    for migrants from these countries. The proposed bill would allow
    qualified nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti an
    opportunity to become lawful permanent residents of the United States.
    Consequently, under this bill, eligible nationals of these countries
    would receive treatment equivalent to that granted to the Nicaraguans
    and Cubans under NACARA.
        Like Nicaraguans and Cubans, many Salvadorans, Guatemalans,
    Hondurans, and Haitians fled human rights abuses or unstable political
    and economic conditions in the 1980s and 1990s. Yet these latter groups
    received lesser treatment than that granted to Nicaraguans and Cubans by
    NACARA. The United States has a strong foreign policy interest in
    providing the same treatment to these similarly situated people.
    Moreover, the countries from which these migrants have come are young
    and fragile democracies in which the United States has played and will
    continue to play a very important role. The return of these migrants to
    these countries would place significant demands on their economic and
    political systems. By offering legal status to a number of nationals of
    these countries with long-standing ties in the United States, we can
    advance our commitment to peace and stability in the region.
        Passage of the ``Central American and Haitian Parity Act of 1999''
    will evidence our commitment to fair and even-handed treatment of
    nationals from these countries and to the strengthening of democracy and
    economic stability among important neighbors. I urge the prompt and
    favorable consideration of this legislative proposal by the Congress.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    August 5, 1999.

    Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    August 6.