Ronald Dellums: “I yield myself 8 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the Goss amendment. On the surface this amendment seems…”

“I yield myself 8 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the Goss amendment. On the surface this amendment seems to be an expression of compassion, human decency, and concern for those who would otherwise risk death on the high seas in an attempt to escape our region's most brutal military. In reality, however, this amendment is far less kind. Instead of proving a safe haven for those fleeing torture and death, the Goss amendment would have the U.S. Navy be a part of a multilateral effort to dump fleeing Haitians on Ile de Gonave, a mosquito-infested island just west of Port-au-Prince--an island with no infrastructure whatsoever, an island readily accessible to the Haitian military and death squads, an island to which we cannot and must not even consider returning human-beings already panic-stricken and traumatized by the brutality of the military leadership and their followers. Simply on the basis of human decency and compassion, this amendment should be rejected. Because it falls far short of reflecting sound policy it does not deserve our vote. However, over and above this, all of us in this Chamber are bound to uphold the cardinal tenent of the U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, now codified in our own Immigration and Nationality Act, which holds that no person, regardless of his country of origin, shall be returned to a country where his life or freedom would be threatened on the basis of his religion, race, or personal belief.…”