LULAC Holds Events Calling on the Clinton Administration to Process Delayed Amnesty Applicants

CONTACT: Selena Walsh
Director of Policy and Communications
(202) 408-0060

\WASHINGTON -- October 7, 1998, LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes hosted a press conference on the House Triangle where members of Congress and other national Hispanic organizations came together in a joint call for justice. Thousands of immigrants have been awaiting the resolution of their residency status since the were improperly prevented from legalizing it more than a decade ago. Although the INS long ago admitted that they had illegally turned away qualified applicants under the 1986-87 amnesty program, they have refused to offer a remedy to those affected and have contested a collection of class action lawsuits designed to force them to process the applications.

Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) all expressed their solidarity with the class members and called on the Clinton Administration to resolve the situation.

Members of the "late amnesty" cases were dealt a severe setback when Congress stripped the courts to hear their cases in a little noticed provision of the 1996 immigration bill. Now class members are having their work permits confiscated and are loosing their protections from deportation. All class members have lived in the United States since 1982 and many have high paying jobs and U.S. citizen children who are dependent on them for survival. LULAC believes that it is in President Clinton's power to right the wrong committed against the class action members.

Over 100 class action members from across the country came to Washington for the press event and later in the day held a rally in front of the White House. Once again, they used the demonstration to express their frustration to the President and to ask that his Administration resolve their dilemma.