Letter to Senator Warner re: H.R. 1266

May 10, 2001
James Landrith
Letter to Senator John Warner
Regarding H.R. 1266

Similar Letter Sent to Senator George Allen and Representative James P. Moran

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May 10, 2001

The Honorable John William Warner
United States Senate
225 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4601

Dear Senator Warner:

I am writing you today on the very serious issue of the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s (INS) use of “secret evidence” in legal proceedings as a means of denying immigrants their rights to due process under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.

INS’ use of such a flagrantly un-Constitutional concept resembles the police-state tactics of such totalitarian regimes as Cuba, North Korea, China and Soviet-era Russia. The use of “secret evidence” has no place in a free society such as ours. It is not only immoral, it is un-American to act in such a manner.

I urge you to introduce or co-sponsor legislation similar to H.R. 1266, which was introduced into the House by Representatives David Bonior, Bob Barr, John Conyers, Tom Davis, Sheila Jackson-Lee, John Dingell, Patrick Toomey, Cynthia McKinney, Maurice Hinchey and Edolphus Towns on March 28, 2001. H.R. 1266, which is attached, ensures that no “alien is removed, denied a benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act, or otherwise deprived of liberty, based on evidence that is kept secret from the alien.”

If this nation is to remain a beacon of liberty and justice we must end the hideous practice of using “secret evidence” to deny due process rights to immigrants. This legislation is a necessary protection for immigrants from the more totalitarian influences of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Sponsorship of a bill similar to H.R. 1266 would not only restore some meaning to the Fifth Amendment, it would also send a gentle reminder to INS that they work for a constitutional republic, not a totalitarian regime. Senator Warner, help us restore some accountability to the INS bureaucracy by ending the use of “secret evidence” now!

Sincerely,

James A. Landrith, Jr.
Editor & Publisher,
The Multiracial Activist
and The Abolitionist Examiner
http://www.multiracial.com/

cc:

    Hala Maksoud, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
    Laura Murphy, American Civil Liberties Union
    Jacob G. Hornberger, The Future of Freedom Foundation
    Steve Dasbach, Libertarian Party

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