From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Sep 15 2008 - 09:20:31 EDT
Senator headed to county prison
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Sep 15, 2008
00:22 EST
By DAVE PIDGEON, Bird's-Eye View
Pennsylvania's senior senator, Republican Arlen Specter, is in Lancaster
this morning visiting Lancaster County Prison, and he plans to meet with not
only prison officials and local law enforcement but prisoners as well.
Why? Specter's leading the charge for a bill in the U.S. Senate that would
deny foreign aid and suspend visas to countries which delay or refuse to
repatriate citizens who have come to the United States and committed a crime
worthy of deportation.
Specter's bill is similar to one introduced by U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, a
Chester County Republican who represents Lancaster County. Pitts introduced
his bill earlier this year.
According to a previous report, eight countries — Laos, Iran, Eritrea,
Vietnam, Jamaica, China, India and Ethiopia — remain steadfast about not
allowing 139,000 of their citizens back into their country, 18,000 of whom
are convicted criminals.
Specter's office said Pennsylvania has an estimated 2,130 criminal
immigrants, almost half of whom are undocumented.
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