As the ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative Conyers has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to finding positive solutions to the difficult questions posed by our immigration policies. Mr. Conyers has introduced the "Fairness in Immigration Act" in the past two congresses, which restores our nations's long standing compassion for individuals seeking to build a better life and reunite with their families. The bill restores fairness to the immigration process by making sure that each person has a chance to have their case heard by a fair and impartial decision maker.

As a co-chair of the Congressional Refugee Caucus, Rep. Conyers has worked with members from both sides of the aisle to ensure that our Nation maintains its vital role as a haven for people of the world fleeing religious, racial, and social persecution. The refugee caucus continues to pressure the current Administration to restore the level of refugee admissions to what it was before new security concerns shut down the program after September 11^th.

In addition, Mr. Conyers has a long standing and ongoing commitment to the Haitian people. He has worked tirelessly to improve the political, economic, and health conditions for the Haitian people and has been an outspoken opponent of the recent Department of Justice policy of mandatory detentions of Haitians. Congressman Conyers has most recently worked with other Members of Congress to raise awareness about the injustice of the Haitian detention policy, holding multiple press conferences, speaking at rallies, and writing letters challenging the Department of Justice's Haitian detention policy and urging improvement of the conditions under which detainees are held.

Congressman Conyers has served as the co-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Haiti Task Force and has visited Haiti multiple times to witness first hand the challenges facing Haitians today. He has also visited the facilities in South Florida where Haitians are being detained and most recently met with INS directors in 2002.