From: "NCPA" <media@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: October 28, 2005 10:04:15 PM EDT
To: <pakistan@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Thirty-four members of Congress urge President Bush to
grant Pakistanis TPS, to send more helicopters
.
Help the victims of Pakistan earthquake. Please donate generously
to a charity of your preference.
Thirty-four members of Congress urge President Bush to grant
Pakistanis TPS, to send more helicopters
WASHINGTON: Several members of US Congress in a letter have asked
President George Bush to grant the Temporary Protected Status to
Pakistan and to urgently send more helicopters to Pakistan for help
in the relief work.
The letter, dated 10/28/05 and signed by thirty-four members of
Congress, urges President Bush to “immediately add Pakistan to the
list of countries designated under the Temporary Protected Status
(TPS) and to temporarily suspend the deportation proceedings of
Pakistanis from the United States.” The letter also asks the
president to send more helicopters to Pakistan.
“[We] insist that you utilize United States military and civilian
resources to provide additional helicopters to Pakistan earthquake
relief efforts.”
Last week, a bi-partisan bill, HR4073, was introduced in the House
of Representatives by Congressman Al Green to grant Pakistanis the
Temporary Protected Status.
TPS allows aliens who do not legally qualify as refugees but are
nonetheless fleeing or reluctant to return to potentially dangerous
situations to temporarily remain in the United States.
“In the past, our government has granted TPS to nationals of other
countries in the aftermath of foreign natural disasters. For
example, in October and November of 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed
more than 9,000 people in Central America and TPS was granted the
next month to over 86,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans living in the
United States at the time,” states the letter.
“Granting TPS to Pakistan nationals is consistent with the
interests of the United States and it is the right thing to do,”
the members of Congress tell President Bush. But, the members also
ask the president to put the homeland security issues first while
making a decision on the TPS.
“We urge you to direct the Department of Homeland Security to now
contribute to the relief effort with our patience toward Pakistani
nationals currently in the US and grant them TPS,” the letter adds.
Asking President Bush to send more helicopters to Pakistan, the
letter says: “We understand that there are currently 381 US
military personnel and 12 helicopters supporting relief operations
in Pakistan. The Department of Defense has reported that 13
additional helicopters should arrive in Pakistan in the next few
days. We are proud that our nation has already provided this
assistance, more can and needs to be done without delay.”
“The United States must continue to do as much as possible to aid
Pakistan. Time is of the essence because winter is rapidly
approaching,” the bi-partisan letter continues.
Last week, a White House official told an official of the National
Council of Pakistani Americans that the United States has committed
a total of 33 helicopters, which according to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, were spared from several US operations around the
world.
Several Pakistani American organizations have welcome President
Bush’s immediate response to earthquake disaster in Pakistan. But,
as the enormity of the devastation unfolded in the passing days,
the groups demanded more US aid to save the survivors of the Oct
8th quake from extreme weather conditions.
A UN official in Azad Kashmir yesterday urged the international
community rush the aid to the region.
Calling on the world to save tens of thousands of lives in the
quake-hit areas, a UN spokesman said: "Frankly, I don't know how to
say this any more clearly in plain English: 'It's now or never; we
will not have a second chance'."
Following members of Congress have signed the Oct 28th letter:
1. Rep. Jane Schakowsky
2. Rep. Rahm Emanuel
3. Rep. Tom Lantos
4. Rep. Al Green
5. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
6. Rep. Al Gutierrez
7. Rep. Joseph Crowley
8. Rep. Major Owens
9. Rep. Michael Honda
10. Rep. Raul Grijalva
11. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
12. Rep. Sharod Brown
13. Rep. Jerrold Nadler
14. Rep. Jim McDermott
15. Rep. Carolyn Maloney
16. Rep. Elijah Cummings
17. Rep. Barney Frank
18. Rep. Jim Moran
19. Rep. Dale Kildee
20. Rep. Henry Waxman
21. Rep. Dennis Kucinich
22. Rep. John Larson
23. Rep. Melissa Bean
24. Rep. Jim Costa
25. Rep. Donald Payne
26. Rep. Cynthia McKinney
27. Rep. Bob Filner
28. Rep. Edolphus Towns
29. Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick
30. Rep. Cregory Meeks
31. Rep. Chris Van Hollen
32. Rep. Betty McCollum
33. Rep. Jim McGovern
34. Rep. Lane Evans
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