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< Go back to Immigration Daily The Honorable Mark Foley Serious Human Rights Abusers Accountability Act of 2000 (H.R. 5285) House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims September 28, 2000 Mr. Chairman, I would like to
thank you and the members of your Subcommittee for inviting me back to testify
about the serious matter of foreign thugs and torturers living here in the
United States. On February 17th, I testified
before your Subcommittee regarding my bill, H.R. 3058, the Anti-Atrocity Alien
Deportation Act. My bill sends a simple message -- if we find that you have
committed or ordered performed acts of torture, you won’t be allowed into the
United States. And ... if you have somehow managed to slip into the U.S., your
citizenship will be forfeited and you will leave this country. It’s very clear
-- engage in acts of torture and you’re not welcome here. That is why I am pleased that the
thrust of my legislation is being incorporated into the Chairman’s expanded
bill, H.R. 5285, the Serious Human Rights Abusers Accountability Act of 2000. The United States has always been
a safe-haven for those fleeing political persecution abroad and this policy
should continue. However, brutal criminals who have gone on violent rampages in
Haiti, Yugoslavia and Rwanda have been able to gain entry to the United States
through the same doors that we have opened to deserving refugees. We need to
slam the door shut on these thugs and rid our country of those who have already
managed to make their way here. I didn’t become aware of the need
for this until I learned last year that Carl Dorelien -- a key member of the
brutal military dictatorship that ruled Haiti from 1991-1994 -- is now living
in comfort in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, a beautiful coastal town my
Congressional district. He even won the Florida lottery and -- amazingly -- has
described his current standard of living as "a step down" from his
former life in Haiti. This is a man who -- as Head of Personnel for the Haitian
army -- oversaw the brutal campaign that led to the deaths of approximately
5,000 Haitians between 1991 and 1994. Initially, I assumed this case
was just an isolated and bizarre episode. But, once I began to look into the
issue more, I soon realized that we have a big problem on our hands. The United
States is becoming a haven for brutal human rights abusers. According to the Center for
Justice and Accountability in San Francisco, at least 60 alleged human rights violators
are currently living in the United States. And these are just the ones who have
been identified. In 1998, Canada began an
aggressive campaign to locate and act against human rights abusers who found
their way into the country. As of July, 1999, the Canadian government indicated
that 400 cases are being processed toward removal, 307 suspected war criminals
have been denied visas, and 23 were deported. That’s a total of 700 war
criminals that Canada has detected. Based on Canada’s figures -- and
taking into account the much bigger population in the United States and other
socio-economic factors -- I think the Center for Justice and Accountability’s
claim that we could have as many as 7,000 human rights abusers living in this
country is a reasonable estimate. We must locate and take action
against these criminals. After all, statutes like Megan’s Law allow communities
to find out if known sex-offenders move into the area. These same communities,
however, could be oblivious to the fact that a brutal thug -- who went on a
rampage in a place like Haiti or Kosovo -- is living anonymously among them. Mr. Chairman, I support this
legislation and thank you and the other members of the Subcommittee for
allowing me to appear before you today.  Share this page | Bookmark this page | Print this page |  Add to del.icio.us
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