Keep Families Together

Mr. Lautenberg Announces a Bill, Please Call Senators!!!

Amazing news! Today, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg announced he will introduce legislation next week to allow some Indonesians who came to the U.S. to reopen claims for asylum.  ”These Indonesian families sought refuge in our country to keep their families safe from harm and religious persecution,” said Senator Lautenberg.  ”America has a long history of protecting refugees from persecution and this legislation gives these families a chance to legally seek asylum and to continue contributing to our country.”

This is critical for us at RCHP–we have 10 people in Sanctuary, 9 U.S. Citizen kids whose parents have deport dates in the next two weeks. But hundreds more nationwide are in trouble.

Now Frank needs OUR HELP to find co-sponsors!

Help us call EVERY Senator in the United States. Please call as many as you can. PLEASE ask your friends and family in other states to call their own senators. Senators listen most carefully to people in their own states.

To search for your Senator’s phone number, use this website

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

USE THIS SCRIPT FOR CALLS:

“My name is ___________. I am calling from _______ (town, state, organization). Today I am asking the Senator to co-sponsor a new bill that will be introduced by Frank Lautenberg next week. The legislation would reopen the application period for some Indonesian refugees.

Many refugees fled Indonesia to avoid religious persecution. This is extremely urgent! Religious minorities in Indonesia face violent persecution TODAY.  Yet ICE has set summer deportation dates for many parents of U.S. Citizen children. Please also ask the Senator to call ICE and stay deportations of Indonesians.

To learn more, please watch a short video at brokenasylumfilm.com and let me know if we have your support. What email address can I use to follow up with you?”

END OF SCRIPT.

BACKGROUND: Senator Frank Lautenberg’s bill will be a companion to ”The Indonesian Refugee Family Protection Act”  (HR 3590) that enables all Indonesians who entered the U.S. between 1997 and 2002 to apply for asylum, without the limitation of the one-year deadline.

The Indonesian Community in Central NJ–and thousands more Indonesians across the country–is experiencing a deportation crisis of epic proportions. Most entered the US in the late 1990s and early 2000′s fleeing violent religious persecution, filed for asylum and were denied because of the one-year deadline. Christians continue to experience severe persecution in Indonesia.

REPORT YOUR CALLS to our friends who are in sanctuary. They will track who is called and make sure we hit every Senator multiple times! Report your calls to

Arthur at ajemmy4@gmail.com, Saul at saul_timisela@yahoo.com, and Gunawan atgoliem@msn.com

On the Verge of Huge Immigration Development for Indonesians!

Today is the day when Harry and Yana (parents of the family featured in the documentary “Broken Asylum”) were to report to ICE. Instead, they are in sanctuary. We now have 9 people in sanctuary. 7 US Citizen kids only have their parents here in this country right now because of this effort.

Harry Pangemanan and the others in sanctuary will head up a call-a-thon that relates to the news that will be announced on Friday, June 22.

Please come to The Reformed Church of Highland Park and call politicians and friends nationwide during the following hours:

Call-A-Thon on Friday 3pm-8pm
Call-A-Thon Saturday afternoon
Call-A-Thon continues on Sunday from Noon-2pm

Every call matters, and we’ve found that it is a lot easier to call when you are surrounded by brothers and sisters who are also making calls. Our goal is to make 500 calls over the course of these three days.

Additionally, today, in Trenton, Assemblyman Peter Barnes is bringing a Resolution about the Indonesian Refugee Family Protection Act to the floor of the Assembly. We are very hopeful that the Assembly will follow the lead of the Homeland Security Committee and endorse this resolution! This resolution doesn’t have any power in and of itself, but it shows the US congress that the state of New Jersey is watching how Indonesian Christians with lives and families in America will be treated.

H.R.3590 - Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act

To allow certain Indonesian citizens to file a motion to reopen their asylum claims.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act’.

SEC. 2. MOTION TO REOPEN ASYLUM CLAIMS.

(a) In General- Notwithstanding subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 208(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)) and section 240(c)(7) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1229a(c)(7)), and notwithstanding any other provision of law on motions to reopen removal or deportation proceedings, an alien may file one motion to reopen an asylum claim during the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act if the alien—

(1) is a citizen of Indonesia;

(2) entered the United States after January 1, 1997, and before November 30, 2002;

(3) filed an application for asylum that was denied asylum based solely upon a failure to meet the 1-year application filing deadline;

(4) is not subject to the safe third country exception under section 208(a)(2)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(A)); and

(5) is not subject to a bar from seeking asylum under section 208(b)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(b)(2)).

(b) Application From Abroad- The motion to reopen referred to in subsection (a) may be filed in the United States or from outside the United States.

(c) Return of Applicants Abroad- An alien who meets the requirements under subsection (a) may be admitted or otherwise authorized to enter the United States solely to prosecute a motion to reopen under this section or otherwise to pursue relief under this section. Hearings pursuant to this section may be held in the United States or abroad, with the alien appearing in person or by video phone or similar device.

(d) Definitions- For purposes of this Act, the terms used in this Act shall have the same meanings given such terms in section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).