Introducation of a Private Bill for the Relief of Malik Jarno

INTRODUCTION OF A PRIVATE BILL FOR THE RELIEF OF MALIK JARNO -- (Extensions of Remarks - April 28, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2005

* Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a private bill to make Malik Jarno a permanent resident of the United States and to end the protracted ordeal of immigration removal proceedings that have spanned almost one-quarter of this young man's life.

* Malik is a mentally disabled teenage orphan from Guinea whose compelling plight has attracted the concern and involvement of more than 70 members of Congress, countless citizens, the international media and dozens of national, state and local organizations working with the mentally disabled, children and immigrants and refugees.

* Deporting Malik to Guinea to face life-threatening circumstances would run contrary to the standard of human rights and decency this country maintains. Members of Malik's family were killed and his home was destroyed in the midst of ethnically and politically motivated violence in Guinea. Immigration authorities have received overwhelming evidence of Malik's shattered life and the serious risk of harm he faces, given his father's status as a prominent political dissident, at the hands of Guinean authorities. The heightened threat associated with Malik's deportation places a special responsibility on this country to consider the well-being and livelihood of this young man.

* In addition, as a mentally disabled homeless orphan the potential risks of a life in Guinea are aggravated. With no known family or friends to care for Malik, he faces the reality of being relegated to the fringes of a society that has no infrastructure or services to support this young man's special needs. According to information from USAID, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO and other agencies, there are no government or non-profit programs or legal protections for mentally disabled individuals in Guinea. Given his disability, he will face ostracism and severe discrimination and be extremely vulnerable to physical abuse, oppressive conditions and hostile treatment.

* In an act of desperation, family friends that were looking after Malik put him on a plane bound for the United States. Upon his arrival at Dulles International Airport in 2001, Malik was detained by immigration officials and held in adult jails, where his special needs as a mentally disabled child were neglected in the company of adult convicts, for eight months, before he was allowed to appear before a judge to apply for asylum. Only after another two years of detention was Malik transferred from a maximum security prison to a refugee shelter in York, Pennsylvania.

* On December 29, 2004, despite strong evidence supporting Malik, an immigration judge denied Malik asylum. An appeal was filed with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) on January 28, 2005. DHS possesses a travel document for Malik's removal to Guinea which can be used as soon as the BIA dismisses his appeal.

* This ordeal has dragged on for too many years and the perpetual uncertainty has left Malik anxious and unsettled. He continues to study, make friends, and go to school in York, Pennsylvania, but with the constant threat of being torn away from his life in the United States. Malik has a promising future in the United States and this bill will provide Malik with a permanent immigration status and the path to becoming a productive and contributing citizen.

* In these troubled times, where our reputation as a beacon for human rights has been challenged by the situation in Iraq, the United States has a heightened responsibility to guarantee justice and humane treatment to the most vulnerable in society instead of relegating a mentally disabled orphan to such a horrific fate.

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