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MICHAEL M.

HONDA

COMMI1TEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

17TH DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA

SUBCOMMITTEES:

WASHINGTON OFFICE:

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE


LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,

1713 LONOWORTH HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING


WASHINGTON, DC 20515
PHONE: 12021 2252631
FAX:
12021 2252699
http://www.honda.house.gov

SENIOR WHIP

E~STRiCT OFFiCE:
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FAX:

670W

EDUCATION

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(855) 6803759
(408(4362721

CONGRESSIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC


AMERICAN CAUCUS, CHAIR EMERITUS
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
COALITION, VICE CHAIR

LGBT EQUALITY CAUCUS,

February 2, 2016
The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528
Dear Secretary Johnson:
I write to express my concerns regarding your agencys recent response to the ongoing crisis
involving refugees from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, given the extreme violence and
instability in these countries.
El Salvador is the most violent country in the Western Hemisphere, at 103 homicides per
100,000 residents. The Northern Triangle countries suffer from uncontrolled violence, high
murder rates, and strain from the sustained damage from major natural disasters.
Having served as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador from 1965 to 1967, I know firsthand
the unique challenges facing the Salvadoran people, and the harm done to families living in a
society ruled by violence and crime.
That is why I was very disheartened to learn that Peace Corps had to suspend its program in El
Salvador due to the spread of gang violence posing a security risk to Peace Corps volunteers. El
Salvador now faces an ever-worsening crisis as extreme violence, rising murder rates, and drug
trafficking are causing mass migration from the country. This follows the suspension of the
Peace Corps Honduras program in 2012, also for security reasons.
It is wrong and inhumane that our government is deporting women and children back to
countries it has deemed too dangerous for our Peace Corps volunteers. As of October 2015, as
many as 83 individuals who were deported since January 2014, had been murdered. The U.S. is
often the last resort and only hope for safety for these refugees.
I am deeply concerned that our current removal process does not afford meaningful due process
to this refugee population. The evidence is clear: individuals from these countries are passing
their credible fear interviews at extremely high rates, but many have neither the means nor the
access to an attorney. These individuals and families deserve compassion and humanitarian
protection, not punishment.
I welcome Secretary Kerrys recent announcement that the U.S. will set up refugee screening
centers in the Central American countries. This is an important and positive step. It should not,
however, be a justification for increased enforcement and deportations. We still have an

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obligation to ensure the necessary protections and due process for those who are seeking asylum
here in the United States.
Thus, I urge you to:

Stop the practice of conducting immigration raids on vulnerable populations such as


women and children;
Extend Temporary Protected Status to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and
provide humanitarian parole or other administrative relief to asylum seekers from
these countries;
End immigrant detention for vulnerable populations, including women, children, and
LGBT individuals and use proven community-based alternatives to detention;
Ensure that all individuals receive a legal orientation detailing their rights and
obligations, legal referrals, and full access to an attorney; and
Cease the use of rocket dockets that undermine the ability for attorneys to prepare
necessary evidence for asylum claims.

Serving in Peace Corps taught me to look at the world through other peoples eyes. It is this
empathy and humanitarian obligation that should inform how we treat those who desperately
seek our assistance. We can do better; we must do better. Only by upholding these values, can
we truly ensure the security and prosperity of our nation. I look forward to hearing from you on
how we can improve our nations generosity and compassion.
Sincerely,
1

Michael M. Honda
Member of Congress

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