Jeremiah Smith: “I rise to explain what this legislation does. I think timeliness is important. This is an urgent matter. I introduced…”

“I rise to explain what this legislation does. I think timeliness is important. This is an urgent matter. I introduced this bill along with my colleagues from Florida, Senators Mack and Graham. I am pleased to have their support in introducing the bill. I am doing it today to correct an injustice. There is an injustice being committed, as we speak, by the Attorney General and the Immigration and Naturalization Service against Elian Gonzalez. I thank Senator Mack for his leadership in sponsoring a private relief bill to grant Elian Gonzalez citizenship. A grant of citizenship to Elian Gonzalez has the practical effect of removing the Elian Gonzalez controversy from the immigration law and places the controversy in the Florida courts for a custody proceeding. This bill today does not grant Elian Gonzalez citizenship. Again, I am doing this with the full support of Senator Mack and Senator Graham. This grants what is called family permanent residency to the family of Elian Gonzalez--that would be Elian, Elian's father in Cuba, Elian's father's current wife in Cuba, Elian's father's son in Cuba or child in Cuba, Elian's two grandmothers and one grandfather, all of them--so they can now come to America, sit down as a family and resolve this matter.”