|
|
September 5, 2003/Elul 8 5763, Vol. 55, No. 54
Jews back asylum seekers
E.B. SOLOMONT
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK - As it becomes ever more difficult for foreigners to enter a United States wary of terrorism, several Jewish groups are urging immigration auth-orities to relax rules for asylum seekers.
A coalition of 15 Jewish groups is raising a red flag about the practice of turning away asylum seekers who have used false documents. They argue that refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries are being denied the right to "due process" when they come to the United States.
The groups, including the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League, have identified 200 cases in which asylum seekers were arrested before their claims were processed. In some cases, the refugees were carrying fake passports.
For their part, immigration authorities say asylum seekers are afforded due process - though it may be while they're already in detention.
Prosecuting asylum seekers in the United States poses a complicated problem. Using fraudulent documents is illegal, yet many refugees must use illegal means such as fake passports to escape dangerous situations in their home countries.
The plight of asylum seekers touches a nerve in the Jewish community. During World War II, many Jews fleeing Nazi Germany were saved by Raoul Wallenberg and others who provided them with forged passports to get out of Germany.
"Jews have been refugees themselves. We understand what this is about," said Amy Weiner, assistant legislative director at the AJCommittee.
Today, she said, asylum seekers use false documents "not out of disrespect, but because they are often fleeing torture, rape, persecution and other dangers."
Refugees in danger are not likely to approach government officials and fill out the appropriate forms, said Gideon Aronoff, Washington representative for HIAS.
That would be like saying, "If you want to come and get me and rape me and kill me, this is where I am," Aronoff said.
In an Aug. 13 letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft and Tom Ridge, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the coalition of Jewish groups urged the U.S. government not to "compromise the promise of freedom that our country represents to persecuted people around the world."
According to HIAS, the lead group behind the letter, some U.S. federal attorneys who are prosecuting detained asylum seekers are violating the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which the United States ratified.
The convention requires countries to recognize that refugees sometimes must use false documents, and not to penalize them for illegal entry.
Advocates of more con-servative policies say that letting people into the country with false documents is a potential threat to U.S. security.
"People have been exploiting our immigration system," said John Keeley, a spokesman at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. "That includes the humanitarian category of refugees and asylees."
Some Islamic terrorists have entered the United States by claiming they need asylum, he said. There must be a security component to all areas of entry to the United States, Keeley said.
"Post-Sept. 11, it's a different world," he said.
|
