April 28, 2003
Letter to The President
Letter to The President
April 28, 2003
President Bush
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to urge you to ensure that Attorney General Ashcroft’s April 17, 2003 decision In Re D-J- be immediately revoked.
As a result of this decision, Haitian men, women, and children, who have come to the U.S. seeking freedom and protection – and who have absolutely no intent to harm the United States – will be detained in jails or other facilities for months or years without being given a meaningful chance to demonstrate that their detention is unnecessary. Clearly, this is not the face that a free and morally righteous America wishes to present to the world.
This decision is one in a long line of discriminatory detention and interdiction policies directed at Haitian asylum seekers. These policies violate fundamental principles of fairness as well as international law. Refugees seeking protection on American shores deserve a welcoming hand and fair procedures, not the threat of indefinite detention. Using harsh detention policies to deter desperate refugees seeking protection is wrong.
I urge you to take immediate steps to rectify this injustice. In particular, I urge you to:
*Immediately revoke the April 17, 2003 decision.
*End discriminatory detention and interdiction policies targeted at Haitian asylum seekers.
Political violence is on the rise in Haiti, and it is not surprising that those in danger feel the need to flee. We owe all asylum seekers – including Haitians – the opportunity to present their claims in a procedure that is fair and unbiased.
The Attorney General’s decision deprives asylum seekers of the chance to prove that they, in their individual cases, present no security risk and merit release on bond. Jailing asylum seekers for months or longer and depriving them of the chance to show, in their individual cases, that they present no risk and merit release, is unfair and inconsistent with both American values and international law. I urge you to ensure that this decision is revoked immediately.
Sincerely,
James Landrith