Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta.
About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 1987)
PAGE 7 — The Georgia Bulletin, July 23,1987 USCC Aide Calls Action PR Move Meese Order Allows Nicaraguans To Stay In U.S. HISPANIC INFLUENCE — Children stand against a brightly col ored mural painted on the wall of a San Antonio, Texas, subsidized housing project. Murals such as this by Hispanic artists are prevalent on walls throughout the mostly Hispanic projects. San Antonio, once a part of Mexico, continues to be predominantly Mexican-American and the influence of the Hispanic culture can be seen throughout the city. (NC photo by Mike Okoniewski) BV LAURIE HANSEN WASHINGTON (NC) - A Reagan ad ministration decision to permit Nicaraguans to remain in the United States was seen by a U.S. Catholic Conference of ficial as an effort to undercut support for legislation providing “extended voluntary departure” to Salvadorans and Nicara guans. But in Miami, news of the decision was welcomed by Msgr. Bryan 0. Walsh, ex ecutive director of the archdiocese's Catholic Community Services, who said it averted a “major community crisis" in that city. The Reagan administration announced July 8 that Nicaraguan exiles will be per mitted to remain in the United States under a liberalized immigration policy. Msgr. Walsh said that had the decision not been made, Miami would have had to contend with an estimated 50,000-70,000 Nicaraguans "unable to work, pay rent or buy food" as a result of employer sanctions detailed in the 1986 immigration reform law. The vast majority of Nicaraguans in Miami do not qualify for amnesty provi sions in the immigration law because they entered the United States after Jan. 1,1982. the eligibility cutoff date, he said. In a statement the Justice Department announced that Attorney General Edwin Meese III signed an order that states Nicaraguans who have fled to the United States can remain here. Nicaraguans "with a well-founded fear of persecution" from the Nicaraguan govern ment will not be deported unless they have engaged in serious criminal activity or pose danger to national security, the state ment said. Nicaraguans will be permitted to remain in the United States "for the present” under Meese's order, which "is effective until fur ther notice," it said. Every qualified Nicaraguan seeking work authorization will be granted it, the statement said. It encouraged Nicara guans whose claims for asylum or withholding of deportation have been denied to reapply. Calling the decision "more a PR (public relations) move than a substantive move,” Msgr. Nicholas DiMarzio, executive direc tor of the USCC’s Migration and Refugee Services, said in an interview that a “better route to take” would have been to back legislation proposed by Sen. Dennis DeCon- cini, D-Ariz., and Rep. Joseph Moakley, D-Mass., to permit Salvadorans and Nicaraguans to remain in the United States on a temporary basis until conditions im prove in their homelands. In a USCC statement issued July 14, Msgr. DiMarzio said he found "nothing essentially new" in the government an nouncement, adding that the attempt to portray a set of existing procedures as "new" policy must be viewed as "an effort to undercut support" for the DeConcini- Moakley proposed legislation. He said many Nicaraguans are seeking temporary respite rather than permanent residency and citizenship and, therefore, do not wish to apply for asylum. In addition, he said, the asylum process is "both costly and time-consuming" and the approval rate for Nicaraguan asylum applicants "has been historically very low." Msgr. Walsh said 92 percent of Nicaraguans who have applied for political asylum have had their applications re jected. Unless Immigration and Naturalization Service intends to dramatically improve the approval rate, Msgr. DiMarzio said, "this policy will not be a long-term solution " Many Nicaraguans fled their homeland as a result of "the shutting down of the private sector" precipitated in large part by a U.S. trade embargo against Nicaragua, or to avoid military service, said Msgr. Walsh. Many came out of fear of persecution by Nicaraguan government forces or U.S.-backed Nicaraguan counterrevolu tionaries. he said. The priest continues to support legislative efforts to grant extended volun tary departure to Salvadorans who have fled thier homeland. "I feel very strongly that our assistance to refugees should be given regardless of whether that person is Projects Values looking for violent solutions to our problems, but violence accomplishes nothing," Father Jenco said. Meanwhile he said he is in constant communication with ex-hostages, their families and the families of those still in captivity. He said he has also been active in the formation of a new organization, still unnam ed, to serve as a support group for hostages and their families. Father Jenco said the new support group will also provide limited financial assistance to families for postage and telephone ex penses connected with their efforts on behalf of kidnap victims. Father Jenco said a watch given to him by Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite has been his “prayer bracelet” since his release. Waite was kidnap ped in Beirut in January while on a mission to negotiate the release of U. S. and European hostages. There have been uncon firmed reports that he died in captivity in the last few weeks. of the left or of the right, whether they are fleeing a regime that is leftist or rightist.” Msgr. Walsh said. Msgr. DiMarzio said the DeConcini- Moakley proposal addresses the issue in an "ideology-blind manner" and "reflects more closely the interests of both the Cen tral Americans fleeing violence at home and of U.S. citizens who wish their govern ment to respond to compelling humani tarian situations with generosity and fairness." Father Jenco Says North Poor Image Of American BY MARY ANN POUST NEW YORK (NC) - Ser- vite Father Lawrence Mar tin Jenco. who spent 19 months in captivity in Lebanon, says Lt. Col. Oliver North projected a "terrible" image of American values with his testimony at the Iran- contra hearings. North admitted that he lied to Congress to cover up the secret arms sales to Iran and the diversion of profits from the sale to the Nicaraguan rebels, known as contras. "There are lies and lies and more lies, and young people begin to see it as something acceptable. This bothers me tremendously." said Father Jenco in an in terview at the offices of Catholic Relief Services in Manhattan, where he is beginning a six-month assignment. Father Jenco criticized North's claims that the motive for his deceit was pure. “He's saying the end justifies the means — but that is absolutely not right. It is immoral. If the means are immoral, the end is im- Father Lawrence Martin Jenco moral. That's basic Chris tian teaching,” Father Jen co said. Father Jenco was head of the Catholic Relief Services Beirut bureau when he was kidnapped in January 1985. He was released last July. In his nationally televised testimony to a select con gressional committee North said that the release of three kidnapped Ameri cans on separate dates was the result of three ship ments of U.S. arms to Iran. Father Jenco was one of the three released in the time frame outlined by North al though North did not men tion any specific names. Father Jenco said that if he had known his freedom was part of an arms deal he would have remained a hostage.® "Some people don't believe me when I say that — but they don’t know Lawrence Martin Jenco," he said. He said he was initially upset over the idea that millions of dollars worth of arms were transferred for "a single person, with no wife or children — arms that will be used to keep a war going between Iran and Iraq, a war in which millions of women and children are going to be kill ed.” He said his disgust deepened as it came to be revealed that persons in volved in the deal apparent ly pocketed some of the money and that the re mainder went to finance an illegal war in Nicaragua. “I’ve gotten to the point where I find it difficult to approve of any kind of war, even what we used to call a ’just war.’ I don't see any just wars. We re always N. Ireland Catholic Fired For U.S. Talks DETROIT (NC) — Irish-American groups are pro testing the firing of a Northern Ireland Catholic who lost his job after speaking in the United States about job discrimination against Catholics in the British province Oliver Kearney, general secretary of Licensed Vintner's Federation of Northern Ireland, a non governmental agency representing 1,000 pub owners, was fired when he returned to Northern Ireland after testifying before the Michigan and California legislatures on employment and employment guidelines for U.S. firms doing business in Northern Ireland. Kearney told the Michigan House Civil Rights Com mittee that without the guidelines — called the Mac- Bride Principles — “there is neither the incentive nor the will for U.S. companies located in Northern Ireland to face up to the challenge of leading the way and givng the examples so desperately required." Kearney made the U.S. trip on vacation time. "We find it particularly offensive that if Catholics speak out about discrimination before U.S. elected of ficials they will lose their jobs," said a statement issued by several Irish-American groups, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Irish National Caucus, Irish Political Education Committee and the Irish-American Unity Conference. The statement said Kearney had been "victimized and discriminated against” for giving his testimony. The MacBride Principles are guidelines for U.S. companies doing business in the British province of Northern Ireland, where Catholics comprise about one-third of the population. The principles, designed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Sean MacBride, call for increasing employment opportunities for members of religious groups considered underrepresented in the economy and abolishing employment criteria that discriminate on the basis of religion or ethnicity.
