The American Jewish Committee has urged the House Immigration Subcommittee to support the DeConcini-Moakley Bill on Salvadoran refugees seeking “safe haven” in the United States, asserting it would consider the plight of Salvadorans now in the country in “a fair and humane manner.”
“Too often,” wrote Howard Friedman, AJC president, “reactions to this group are shaped by varying views of United States foreign policy in El Salvador. Like anyone seeking refuge, Salvadorans have the right to have their cases decided according to criteria established in United States and international law: would they, as individuals, face danger if sent back to their homeland?”
Friedman’s letter was sent to Rep. Romano Mazzoli (D. Ky.), chairman of the subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee, and all other members. The DeConcini-Moakley Bill, Friedman said, would suspend deportations back to El Salvador for a limited time until the General Accounting Office could study whether people returned there were in danger and whether other safe places for them existed in Central America.
The Reagan Administration maintains that the vast majority of refugees from Central America are not fleeing war or oppression but are seeking a better life here and may be competing with citizens for jobs. About 270 Jewish, Protestant and Catholic congregations around the United States offer sanctuary to Central Americans.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
