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Ashcroft wants
Immigrants Deported
Friday, July 20, 2001
DENVER (AP) - Attorney General John Ashcroft threatened on
Thursday to retaliate against countries that delay or refuse to take back
immigrants convicted of crimes in the United States.
The threat followed the Supreme Court's ruling three weeks ago
that immigrants cannot be jailed indefinitely while they await
deportation to another country willing to take them.
Ashcroft said the ruling has created an emergency situation, and
he vowed to ask Secretary of State Colin Powell to stop granting visas
to those countries' citizens.
``This should be an enormous incentive for countries to take back
their criminal aliens,'' he said in a statement.
``If necessary to protect the American people, I will not
hesitate to exercise my responsibility under this statute to identify
countries which repeatedly and wantonly violate international law.''
Ashcroft declined to name specific countries.
The June 28 ruling affected some 3,000 immigrants who have served
sentences for serious crimes but whose home countries either will not
accept them or no longer exist. The high court said legal immigrants
convicted of certain crimes are entitled to a court hearing before they
can be deported.
The Justice Department said the United States does not have
repatriation agreements with Cuba, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. About 1,200
of the detainees are from those countries.
Under the Supreme Court ruling, some of the detainees could be
released as early as next week.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service said the criminal
aliens held in the United States include hundreds of sexual predators, drug
traffickers and murderers.
Ashcroft said he has ordered several steps to ensure that
dangerous aliens are not released as a result of the court's decision. He said
some criminal aliens have additional state or local sentences that they
have not served, and he will work to extend their sentences. He also
said some aliens will be hit with additional federal charges.
Other steps include the expanded use of anti-terrorism laws,
after the Supreme Court said in its opinion that such detention might be
appropriate in some circumstances.
The attorney general also said that criminal aliens who continue
to stay in this country may be ordered to report to authorities and
have limitations placed on their freedom.
Ashcroft was in Denver to focus on preventing gun violence and
promote a new program by President Bush to crack down on illegal gun
possession. He said the country already has strong gun laws on the books.
In Albuquerque, Ashcroft assured municipal and tribal police
officers and sheriff's deputies that the federal government would work with
local departments.
``Our goal is not to come in and federalize all gun prosecutions
- quite the opposite,'' Ashcroft said. ``The objective of the Safe
Neighborhoods program is to provide new resources and unprecedented
cooperation between all levels of law enforcement.''
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On the Net:
Attorney general's office: http://www.usdoj.gov/ag
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