US should deport 1.39 lakh detained foreign nationals:lawmaker

Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington, July 19 (PTI) A Republican lawmaker plans to
introduce a legislation in the US Congress to force foreign
governments to take back their detained citizens, claiming
that as many as 1.39 lakh people from several countries
including India were held for deportation.

Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent said he along with
two lawmakers will bring in a legislation that will link
issuance of visas to people of a particular country to taking
back their detained nationals from the U.S.

"There are 1,39,000 individuals in this country who have
valid ruling orders against them. They are scheduled to be
deported. They come from eight countries -- China, India,
Eritrea, Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica etc," the lawmaker said.

"Senator (Arlen) Specter and I and Mike Castle are going
to introduce legislation basically asking that we withhold
visas from those countries until they repatriate their
citizens, or withhold foreign aid in the event that they fail
to repatriate those -- their citizens," he told Secretary of
Homeland Security Michael Chertoff during a hearing.

Responding to Dent's observation, Chertoff said the
administration has been taking up the issue with the foreign
governments including India to take back their nationals on
valid deportation orders.

"The Chinese are not particularly efficient in accepting
their citizens back for removal. Often the reason for that is
because they insist upon checking the birth data at the place
of birth. It's not computerised. It takes a long time to do,"
Chertoff replied.

"And we frankly had a lot of back and forth on that
issue....in the case of countries that have been particularly
difficult, we have actually suspended or threatened to suspend
visas for -- for an example, diplomat families. And that
sometimes has a tendency to -- to wake them up," Chertoff
said.

The senior official said the Bush administration
considered it as a priority issue and the next administration
should also give priority to the issue.

"It's a serious priority issue to be raised with these
foreign governments. Obviously, when we deal with foreign
governments, there's a lot of issues in play. No one issue
dominates.

"We've kept it as a priority agenda item. And I think the
future administration ought to do the same thing," the top
official added.

Dent said the administration should put pressure on the
countries to take back their citizens.

"Their home countries will not take them back. They will
not repatriate them. I -- I believe the administration has
some abilities to try to put some leverage over those
countries to take back those folks," he said. PTI