Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
[STK]
[IN]
[SU] AVO FOR
TO FOREIGN, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
NYLAG Calls for Expansion of Lautenberg Amendment as Situation for
Jews in Ukraine Worsens
NEW YORK, April 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In light of the
civil unrest and escalating violence in Ukraine, New York Legal
Assistance Group (NYLAG) is calling for the immediate expansion of the
Lautenberg Amendment. The amendment, named for the late U.S. Senator,
Frank Lautenberg, has for many years been a pathway to freedom for
Jews and other religious minorities fleeing persecution.
In March, as the situation in Ukraine deteriorated and Jews living in
the country reported an increase in anti-Semitic incidents, NYLAG
immigration attorneys began meeting with U.S. and other officials to
push for an expansion of the Lautenberg Amendment to provide
eligibility to a wider population of Ukrainian Jews.
NYLAG stepped up its efforts earlier this week after it was reported
that Jewish worshipers leaving Passover service in an eastern Ukraine
town were handed leaflets by masked men requiring Ukrainian Jews to
register their names and proof of property ownership, or risk
deportation. This week, NYLAG attorneys met with a senior advisor to
U.S. Senator Corey Booker, heir to Mr. Lautenberg's Senate seat, to
discuss the possibility of expanding the application and
implementation of the Lautenberg Amendment.
"The political uncertainty, the imminent economic collapse, and now
blatant acts of anti-Semitism have triggered a new wave of fear among
the Jews of Ukraine, leading to an increased movement to migrate.
Given the history, the propaganda, and the rapidly changing situation
in Ukraine, Jews have good reason to expect that their lives will
change quickly and dramatically for the worse," said Yisroel Schulman,
NYLAG's President and Attorney-in-Charge. "President Obama and
Congress need to act now to protect the Jews of Ukraine. The
Lautenberg Amendment can be the mechanism for securing the safety of
Jews facing religious persecution. Not acting swiftly may result in
dire consequences for thousands of Jewish families currently trapped
in the Ukraine."
The Lautenberg Amendment was first introduced in 1990 to grant
eligibility for refugee status to Jews fleeing the Former Soviet Union
to resettle in the U.S. In 2004 the amendment was expanded to assist
religious minorities fleeing Iran. Under the Lautenberg Amendment,
individuals are eligible to apply for refugee status if they can prove
they are members of a religious minority subject to persecution, and
have so-called "first degree" relatives -- spouses, parents, children,
siblings, grandparents -- permanently living in the United States.
In light of the worsening political situation and the recent wave of
migration by Ukrainian Jews, NYLAG is proposing a broader
interpretation of the amendment to allow the aunts, uncles, nieces,
nephews, and cousins of permanent US residents to enter the US under
the refugee program. Expanding the policy would potentially allow a
greater percentage of Ukrainian Jews to obtain refugee status in the
US.
The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) provides free civil legal
services to New Yorkers who cannot afford private attorneys. Founded
in 1990 on the premise that low-income individuals can improve their
lives significantly if given access to the justice system, NYLAG has a
comprehensive range of services and core practice areas. For more
information, go to www.nylag.org.
SOURCE New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)
-0- 04/18/2014
/CONTACT: Camilla Jenkins, 212-613-5019, 917-971-1784, or Yisroel Schulman, 212-613-5050
/Web Site: http://nylag.org
CO: New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)
ST: New York Ukraine
SU: AVO FOR
PRN
-- DC08557 --
0000 04/18/2014 18:50:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
