E16 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks January 6, 2009 

President Reagan signed into law the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. 

This act, quite notably, was the only standalone environmental legislation passed during 

the Reagan administration, and was the first 

such designation. 

After a tremendous accomplishment such as 

this, most people would claim victory and rest 

on their laurels. However, Nancy proved tireless and continued to pursue further Gorge 

protection. She successfully advocated for the 

purchase of 40,000 acres that were passed 

into public ownership, and personally purchased more than 30 properties to ensure 

their protection from development. 

Sadly, in 2004 she was diagnosed with 

ALS, also know as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but 

like any true champion, her dedication did not 

fade. Nancy made one final trip to the Gorge 

in August with close friends. I am sure that 

she was thinking that no matter how much you 

do in your lifetime you always want it to carry 

on for others to learn from and enjoy. 

Madam Speaker, the Columbia River Gorge 

continues to see threats from unwanted development, but I know that the organization she 

founded, and the strength and spirit that 

Nancy Russell left us all with is the strength 

and spirit to not budge an inch on our commitment to the protection of the crown jewel of 

Oregon’s natural heritage. That commitment is 

what I want to commemorate today, Madam 

Speaker, and that commitment is what I will 

continue to draw strength from in my fight to 

protect the Columbia River Gorge. 

f 

INTRODUCING HAITIAN 

PROTECTION ACT OF 2009 

HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, 

I rise today to introduce the Haitian Protection 

Act of 2009. This important piece of legislation 

would designate Haitian nationals as eligible 

for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 

The creation of TPS was intended to serve 

as the statutory embodiment of safe haven for 

those who are fleeing—or reluctant to return 

to—a potentially dangerous situation in their 

country of origin. 

According to section 244(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990, TPS may be 

granted when: there is ongoing armed conflict 

posing a serious threat to personal safety; it is 

requested by a foreign state that temporarily 

cannot handle the return of nationals due to 

environmental disaster; or extraordinary and 

temporary conditions in a foreign state exist 

which prevent aliens from returning. 

Haiti has continued to meet all three of 

these requirements, and yet, not once have 

Haitian nationals been granted TPS. 

Last year, I, along with several of my colleagues, wrote on several occasions to the 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and 

the President of the United States urging them 

to grant Haiti TPS. 

Sadly, just today, the Miami Herald reported 

that Homeland Security Secretary Michael 

Chertoff recently wrote to Haitian President 

Rene ́ Pre ́val formally denying his request for 

TPS. In his letter, Secretary Chertoff stated 

that ‘‘After very careful consideration, I have 

concluded that Haiti does not currently warrant 

a TPS designation.’’ 

Madam Speaker, this response came as an 

utter shock. This past summer, only a few 

months after deadly food riots led to the removal of the country’s Prime Minister, Haiti 

was ravaged by four back-to-back natural disasters. Thousands lost their homes, many 

were left starving and isolated from humanitarian assistance, nearly 800 lives were taken, 

and as of last month, over 300 people remain 

missing. 

Though recovery efforts have slowly commenced, much of Haiti remains in a state of 

destruction. Up to 40,000 people are in shelters, and severe malnutrition concerns have 

arisen throughout rural areas. 

How dire must the situation in Haiti become 

before the United States is willing to extend 

this helping hand to Haiti as it has done for 

other nations under similar circumstances? 

The Haitian government’s ability to provide 

basic governmental services—clean water, 

education, passable roads and basic 

healthcare—remains severely compromised by 

these natural disasters. Repatriating Haitians 

at this time imposes an additional burden on 

government resources that are already 

stretched too thin and poses a serious danger 

to deportees’ personal safety. 

Concerning stability and overall safety, Haiti 

is still in dire need of an adequate policing 

force to maintain order and halt the escalation 

in kidnappings that are plaguing the nation. 

As of April 2008, the Department of State’s 

current travel warning advises Americans that 

current conditions in Haiti make it unsafe to 

travel due to the potential for looting, the possibility of random violent crime, and the serious threat of kidnapping for ransom. 

Madam Speaker, if it is unsafe for our citizens to travel to Haiti, then those same conditions should make it much too dangerous and 

inappropriate to forcibly repatriate Haitians at 

this time. It is unfortunate and appalling that 

our current immigration policies hold such 

harmful double standards. 

I want to make it very clear that I acknowledge and heartily congratulate Haiti’s efforts 

toward recovery and to a stable democratic 

government. However, President Pre ́val’s nascent democratic government still faces immense challenges with regards to rebuilding 

Haiti’s police and judicial institutions to 

achieve the fair and prompt tackling of the ongoing political and criminal violence. 

In addition to safety and human rights considerations, halting the deportation of Haitians 

is also an economic matter. 

Under the law, TPS beneficiaries are eligible 

to obtain work authorization permits. The ability for Haitian nationals to legally work in the 

United States puts them in a position to contribute to their country’s recovery and development until such time when it is safe for them 

to return to Haiti. 

Madam Speaker, the Haitian Diaspora has 

always played a pivotal role in assisting Haiti. 

It is widely known that Haitians residing in the 

United States often work three jobs to send 

money back to Haiti each month. Many Haitians in the United States often send remittances to support family members, and others 

travel home to lend their expertise toward rebuilding and humanitarian efforts. 

Designating Haiti under TPS status would 

preserve and increase remittances—totaling 

approximately a third of Haiti’s GDP—from the 

Haitian Diaspora to relatives and communities 

in Haiti that are key for welfare, survival, and 

recovery. 

Haiti is more dependent than any other 

country on remittances with nearly a billion 

dollars a year sent home by Haitians in the 

United States. In fact, remittances to Haiti far 

exceed foreign aid. 

Now, many Haitian nationals in the United 

States who previously sustained relatives in 

Haiti through remittances are being deported, 

further depriving Haiti of an important source 

of financial aid that is well-positioned to assist 

when based here in the United States. 

Madam Speaker, there are currently six 

countries that are protected under the TPS 

provision: Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, 

Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan. By refusing to 

give Haiti the TPS designation, our inequitable 

immigration policies continue to send the message that the safety of Haitian lives is not a 

priority compared to that of Salvadoran, Honduran, or Sudanese lives. 

We must act to change this perception. Our 

immigration policies have to change. They 

must reflect fairness and treat Haitians equally 

to Nicaraguans, Hondurans, and Salvadorans 

whose deportations are suspended and who 

are allowed to work and support their families 

back home. 

The Haitian Protection Act of 2009 is necessary to achieve fundamental fairness in our 

treatment of Haitian immigrants and remedy 

the accurate and widespread perception that 

U.S. policy has discriminated against them. 

Madam Speaker, we cannot deny Haiti this 

opportunity to help stabilize its economy, recover from devastating natural disasters, rebuild its political and economic institutions, 

and provide a future of hope for Haiti’s people. 

I ask my colleagues to support this legislation and urge the House Leadership to bring 

it swiftly to the House floor for consideration. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO MRS. ADA MCKINNEY 

DEVEAUX 

HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, 

today I rise to pay tribute to the life and legacy 

of the late Mrs. Ada McKinney DeVeaux, a 

Miami native who was known for her contagious spiritual, humorous, and endearing 

personality. It is with both profound sadness, 

but also an enduring sense of gratitude for the 

tremendous inspiration she provided to the 

South Florida community. 

Mrs. McKinney DeVeaux was born to Edmund Sr. and Mary Edwards McKinney on 

September 2, 1931 in Miami, Florida. One of 

the distinguished members of Booker T. 

Washington Senior High’s Class of 1949 or 

the ‘‘fantastic 49-ers’’, she went on to obtain 

her Bachelor of Science degree and a degree 

in Registered Nursing from Florida Agricultural 

& Mechanical University. Mrs. McKinney 

DeVeaux was united in Holy Matrimony to the 

late Father Richard DeVeaux. 

A dedicated registered nurse for 42 years, 

Mrs. McKinney DeVeaux distinguished herself 

in a number of professional appointments 

throughout her nursing career. She served the 

community at the Dade County Health Department’s Overtown office, Jackson Memorial 


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January 6, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E17 

Hospital, University of Miami Medical School, 

and retired from the Miami-Dade County 

Health Department as supervisor of nursing in 

1997. 

While she was a devoted member of numerous community organizations, Mrs. McKinney 

DeVeaux had a special love and dedication to 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. 

Throughout her 57 years of membership, 

some of the leadership roles she assumed 

were: multi-term chairperson of the Gamma 

Zeta Omega Chapter’s annual Ebony Fashion 

Fair event, advisor to the undergraduate Iota 

Nu Chapter at University of Miami, chairperson of the health committee and founding 

member of the AKA WISH Foundation. In recognition of her 50 years of committed membership, she was crowned a ‘‘Golden Soror’’ in 

2004. 

In homage to her profession and the community where she was raised (Overtown), she 

proudly served for 14 years as the recording 

secretary of the Board of Directors, Jefferson 

Reaves Sr. Health Center, Inc. Also, always 

the consummate ‘‘Rattler’’, she was a life 

member of the Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Alumni Association. 

Mrs. McKinney DeVeaux remained devoted 

to her family, and will be missed by all who 

knew her. I offer my heartfelt condolences to 

her family—her children, Jennifer DeVeaux 

Robinson (Rodney) and Pierre Rutledge; sister, Barbara McKinney; brother, Robert L. 

McKinney, Esq.; special brother, Reverend 

Canon J. Kenneth Major; four grandchildren, 

as well as her nieces, nephews, Godchildren, 

and vast array of friends and colleagues. 

Madam Speaker, in the words of her Sorority’s mission to provide ‘‘service to all mankind’’, Mrs. McKinney DeVeaux has embodied 

and wholeheartedly embraced this throughout 

her life. While she will indeed be missed, her 

legacy will live on and the outstanding contributions and service she made to the betterment of Miami-Dade County and South Florida 

will never be forgotten. 

f 

RECOGNIZING VERA BRYANT OF 

BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA 

HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. 

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Vera 

Bryant of Hernando County, Florida. Vera will 

do something later this year that all of us 

strive to do, but that very few of us will ever 

accomplish, celebrate her 100th birthday. 

Vera Bryant was born May 7, 1909, in Twin 

Lakes, Florida. A native Floridian, she married 

her sweetheart Robert Bryant and together 

they had two beautiful children, both girls. 

After finishing school, Vera worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for 33 years while raising her two children. 

A dedicated church member that gives her 

much happiness in life, Vera attends the Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church where she 

is the oldest member. Today she spends 

much of her time visiting with her family and 

her church. At one time, Vera enjoyed delivering the Tampa Tribune, where she had her 

own paper route. Vera said she did a lot of 

volunteer work and was a Lilly White Convention Member and sang in the Church Choir. 

Vera’s proudest moments now are having 

time to spend with all of her grand, great- and 

great-great-grandchildren. She also has many 

wonderful memories of riding her father’s 

horses. Vera’s advice to young people today 

is to be sure to get a good education and 

make something of their lives. 

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in 

honoring Vera Bryant for reaching her 100th 

birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune 

to live as long as her. 

f 

INTRODUCTION OF THE COMMISSION ON WARTIME RELOCATION 

AND INTERNMENT OF LATIN 

AMERICANS OF JAPANESE DESCENT ACT 

HON. XAVIER BECERRA OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to introduce the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act. This bill would 

create a commission to review and determine 

facts surrounding the relocation, internment, 

and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans 

during World War II. 

Almost 30 years ago, Congress established 

the Commission on Wartime Relocation and 

Internment of Civilians to study the circumstances which led to the detention of 

110,000 Japanese Americans during World 

War II. After twenty days of hearings, testimony from 750 witnesses, and review of thousands of government and military documents, 

the Commission concluded that internment of 

Japanese Americans was the result of racism 

and wartime hysteria. In its report to Congress 

titled Personal Justice Denied, the Commission stated ‘‘not a single documented act of 

espionage, sabotage or fifth column activity 

was committed by an American citizen of Japanese ancestry or by Japanese alien . . .’’ 

The Commission’s findings vindicated these 

loyal Americans and President Ronald Reagan’s signature of the Civil Liberties Act of 

1988 brought closure to thousands who suffered unspeakable indignities and tremendous 

losses. However, there remains a group who 

has not yet experienced the closure they deserve or obtained the justice to which they are 

entitled. 

Between December 1941 and February 

1948, approximately 2,300 men, women, and 

children of Japanese ancestry were abducted 

from 13 Latin American countries and deported to internment camps in the United 

States. The U.S. government orchestrated and 

financed this operation with the intention of 

using these individuals as hostages in exchange for Americans held by Japan. Over 

800 people, many who were second or third 

generation Latin Americans and had no familial or linguistic ties to Japan, were used in two 

prisoner of war exchanges. The remaining detainees were held in U.S. internment camps 

until after the end of the war. In the appendix 

of Personal Justice Denied, the Commission 

cited the Federal government’s role in kidnapping and detaining Japanese Latin Americans, 

but acknowledged it had not researched documents that exist in distant archives or received 

official testimony from government officials or 

survivors. 

It is for these reasons that I introduce this 

very important legislation. The Commission on 

Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin 

Americans of Japanese Descent Act would 

create a commission to investigate and review 

the facts with regard to the abduction and detainment Japanese Latin Americans during 

World War II by the U.S. government. Composed of nine members appointed by the 

President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and President pro tempore of the 

Senate, the commission would be charged 

with holding public hearings and submitting a 

report of its findings and recommending appropriate remedies to Congress. 

I am proud to be working with Senator DANIEL K. INOUYE of Hawaii, a decorated World 

War II veteran and a tremendous public servant, who is also introducing an identical Senate companion measure today. Additionally, I 

am honored to have the indispensable support 

of the wonderful men and women of the Campaign for Justice and the Japanese American 

Citizens League. Without them this effort 

would lack the heart and soul essential to 

cross the finish line. 

Madam Speaker, now is the time to reconcile our past and complete the official narrative on a troubling period in our Nation’s history. As we commit ourselves to building a 

better America for our daughters and sons, I 

look forward to working with my colleagues to 

pass the Commission on Wartime Relocation 

and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO MURRELL MITCHELL, 

SR. 

HON. HAROLD ROGERS OF KENTUCKY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, 

I rise today to pay tribute to Murrell Mitchell, 

Sr., a pillar of the community in Corbin, Kentucky, who sadly passed away on November 

18, 2008 at the age of 91. 

Murrell’s life was a testament to his love for 

his community, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, his country, and the Lord. A hard worker and small business owner, Murrell was a 

fixture of southeastern Kentucky. In addition to 

his entrepreneurial efforts, Murrell also served 

as a member of the Knox County Kentucky 

School Board, as well as three terms as a 

Knox County Magistrate. 

Murrell was also devoted to serving the Lord 

and working in his church, the Grace Baptist 

Church in Corbin Kentucky, where he was a 

deacon for many years. As a faithful member 

of the congregation for most of his life, Murrell 

also served as Sunday school director as well 

as church treasurer. 

Through all of his successes, Murrell had a 

deep abiding love for his family. He was married to his wife, Opal, for over 70 years. Together they have been the loving parents of 7 

children, 15 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. Murrell’s presence as father, grandfather, deacon, and rock of the community will 

be sorely missed. 

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join 

with me in honoring the memory of Murrell 

Mitchell. Although he has departed from us in 

body, his memory will live on in each of us 


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