Senate Bill to Restore Fairness to Refugees in U.S. 

Senators Leahy and Brownback* Introduce Refugee Protection Act (RPA);

RPA will limit use of unfair “expedited removal” procedures and curb detention of those seeking refuge from religious and political persecution 

RPA introduction coincides with 50^th anniversary of 1951 UN Convention on Refugees

   WHAT:        AUDIO PRESS BRIEFING.  On the day the Refugee Protection Act is introduced in the Senate:  Two senators, a human rights advocate and a    recent refugee talk about the need to protect asylum seekers from unfair treatment.

   WHO:          Ř  SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK (R-KS), original co-sponsor of RPA

Ř  SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT), original co-sponsor of RPA

Ř  ELISA MASSIMINO, Director, Washington Office, Human Rights First

Ř  JEAN-PIERRE KAMWE, refugee from Cameroon, detained for five months by INS

   WHEN:     Thursday, August 2, at 2:30 p.m.

   WHERE:      From Any telephone.  To “attend” the press conference, CALL: 1-800-860-2442.  Participants should ask for the “REFUGEE PROTECTION” CALL.

     WHY:             Changes to American immigration law passed by Congress in 1996 have undermined the ability of genuine refugees to seek asylum here and have led to the improper return of refugees facing persecution in their home countries. People fleeing religious and political persecution – as well as tourists, business travelers and even U.S. citizens – have been wrongly turned away from
the U.S. through the use of “expedited removal” procedures that give INS inspectors at an airport or border crossing the power to make life and death decisions previously entrusted to immigration judges. In addition, hundreds of asylum seekers are being imprisoned for months and in some cases, years – even after the INS has determined that they have credible claims to asylum.  The Refugee Protection Act is a bi-partisan bill to amend these harmful measures and restore due process to asylum-seekers. 

                             *The seven original co-sponsors of the Refugee Protection Act:  Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME); Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL); Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL); Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT); Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA); and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT);

For more information, call Liz Vladeck at 212-845-5259 or visit www.humanrightsfirst.org. 

** Human Rights First can arrange interviews with individual refugees who are in detention or who have won asylum. **

Download background material on the RPA and Speaker Bios at www.humanrightsfirst.org