Patrick Leahy: “I am proud to introduce the Refugee Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that would sharply reduce the use of expedited…”

“I am proud to introduce the Refugee Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that would sharply reduce the use of expedited removal at our borders while also reducing the number of asylum seekers whom we detain. This is a bipartisan bill, I am joined today by Senators Brownback, Kennedy, Collins, Durbin, Jeffords, and Graham. I am grateful for the support of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the immigration subcommittee. In 1996, I introduced an amendment to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, ``IIRIRA'', that would have authorized the use of expedited removal only at times of immigration emergencies. The bill we introduce today is modeled on that proposal. That amendment passed the Senate with bipartisan support, but was omitted from the bill that was reported out of a partisan, closed conference. As a result, expedited removal took effect on April 1, 1997. America's historic reputation as a beacon for refugees has suffered as a consequence, and it is long past time to restore it. Expedited removal allows INS inspections officers summarily to remove aliens who arrive in the United States without travel documents, or even with facially valid travel documents that the officers merely suspect are fraudulent, unless the aliens utter the magic words `political asylum' upon their first meeting with American immigration authorities.”