Pete Stark: “I'm starting to wonder if the Republican Majority was listening to the President when he called for the United States to…”

“I'm starting to wonder if the Republican Majority was listening to the President when he called for the United States to act as a beacon of freedom for the world. For our first substantive legislation of the year, they would make it nearly impossible for victims of torture and religious persecution to seek refuge in the U.S. and they would get us ever closer to establishing a national ID. We all accept that sometimes freedom must be sacrificed for security, but the 9/11 Commission itself said that these big brother, anti-immigrant provisions do nothing to enhance national security. This bill makes changes to the asylum process and state drivers licenses, presumably to address the widely-reported anecdote that the first World Trade Center bombers abused the asylum system and had a total of 63 drivers licenses. However, you have to question the motives of the supporters of this bill when the asylum system was already strengthened ten years ago and the 63 drivers licenses are simply an urban legend. The 9/11 Commission found that the hijackers actually had 13, and this bill would not have prevented any of them from being issued. So without making the country safer, we're going to deny refugees and victims of torture, rape, and other atrocities safe haven in this supposed beacon of freedom. I guess the asylum system, which is the most rigorous immigration process in this country, resulting in 30,000 denials last year, is not good enough for the immigrant-bashers.”