Why the Central American and Haitian Adjustment Act of 1999 is needed to amend NACARA.

* Equitability! It is time that all people fleeing human rights abuses are given the same opportunities and fairness under the law. The Act will bring equitable treatment to nationals of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti who have crossed thousands of miles to escape torture due to their beliefs of equality and justice.

* Family Unity! The process of adjustment of status ensures that more families will stay together. Filing a suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal application not only delays the process, it does not provide any assurance that people who meet all eligibility requirements will remain in the U.S. with their families. Parents, who are ordered removed for one inconsistency or another, will have to decide if they leave their U.S. citizen children behind or uproot them from their homes and communities.

* Time is Golden! The process now established is time-consuming for the immigration courts as well as for INS. Immigration judges and INS will be overwhelmed with the 250,000 individuals who registered as ABC class members. The process will not only last years but it will also be costly in legal fees. Many families will miss out on the opportunity because they cannot afford the legal assistance necessary for such a timely application process.

* End Fear! Applicants suffered intense psychological and physical torture from their persecutors in their home countries. For the past ten years these peoplehave been living the nightmare of being returned to their home countries to fall back into the hands of their perpetrators. The insecure outcome of removal proceedings has only intensified the prospect of reliving that terror. Applying for relief under adjustment of status will help alleviate this fear.

* Supports Democratization and Stabilization in Fragile Countries! The President has recognized that returning these people to their home countries will only place unnecessary demands on these emerging and fragile countries. As the President stated in his letter to Congress: "By offering legal status to a number of nationals of these countries with long-standing ties in the United States, we can advance our commitment to peace and stability in the region."

The Central American and Hation Adjustment Act of 199, H.R. 2722, was introduced on August 6th by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), with Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and with support from the Clinton Administration, to bring fairness to lives of many Central Americans and Haitians. H.R. 2722 will amend the Nicaraguan adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) of 1997 to allow nationals of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti to adjust to legal permanent residence under the same requirements as Nicaraguan and Cubans. NACARA allows certain nationals of El Salvador and Guatemala to appy for relief under either suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal, both with restrictive eligibility requirements.