As your constituent, I urge you to support and cosponsor H.R. 1452, the "Family Reunification Act." This important bill would allow legal permanent residents a fair hearing before facing deportation and to be released from detention if they are eligible.

With the horrific events on September 11th, just hearing the words terrorism and/or terrorist instantly brings great pain and deep sorrow in the hearts of every American. Never has such a reprehensible act of violence, death and destruction occurred within the borders our beloved homeland. So, we now expect and demand that our countries leaders and lawmakers do all that is possible, to prevent such a tragedy from ever

happening again. Whether it takes enacting new laws or enforcing existing one to accomplish this, so be it.

However, we must still look deep into our hearts when doing so and must not allow anger or fear to replace our compassion for fairness and justice in the treatment of others.

While the 1996 laws were supposed to guard against terrorism and illegal immigration, some of the harshest provisions had nothing to do with terrorism and were instead directed at long-term lawful residents. Although,

efforts to correct these laws have made progress through our courts. Much remains to be done, before more lives are not adversely altered, under the guise of protecting us against terrorism.

The "Family Reunification Act", [H.R. 1452], reflects our Constitution, which demands adequate protection - due process - is provided to ensure decisions are correct and fair, when substantial liberty interest is at stake. By addressing the present laws mandatory detention and deportation of legal long-term/permanent residents convicted of minor crimes. It returns power to grant bail when appropriate and waive mandatory deportation to Immigration Judges.

Because, immigration decisions are life altering, they not only should, they must be undertaken with great care. Deportation can separate a person from family and from all that makes life worth living. Immigrants should not be automatically deported unless their crime carried that consequence when it was committed. It's unconstitutional to force those who committed a crime under one set of terms of punishment to be subject to new and harsher terms. By attempting to change the rules in the middle of the game, the INS is undermining the very principles of fairness and freedom that we advocate abroad.

Finally, mandatory detention is unjust. Detention of individuals is the most serious deprivation of liberty possible. Immigrants who pose no danger should not be put in jail while lengthy deportation proceedings are pending.