************************************************************** IFCSS Headquarters News Release No. 5131 May 04, 1994 ************************************************************** Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS) 733 15th Street, N.W., Suite 440, Washington, D.C.20005 Tel. (202)347-0017 Fax: (202)347-0018 Email: ifcss@wam.umd.edu The following is the letter from U.S. Department of Justice regarding the 90-day issue. ================================================================= Liu Xiaozhu April 11, 1994 Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars 733 15th Street, N.W. Suite 440 Washington, D.C. 20005 Dear Mr. Liu: This responds to your letter requesting that the Immigration and Naturalization Service grant waivers of the 90-day restriction of presence in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for persons seeking relief under the Chinese Student Protection Act ("Act"). As you may be aware, Congress expressly restricted the coverage of the Act to PRC nationals who were "not physically present in the People's Republic of China for longer than 90 days after such date and before [October 9, 1992]." 8 U.S.C &1225, note, Sec. 2(b)(3). There is no provision in the Act for the Attorney General or the INS to waive these explicit limitations. Concern has been expressed regarding individuals who may have been forcibly detained in the PRC for longer than 90 days. If such persons can demonstrate persecution on the grounds of political opinion, nationality, race, religion, or membership in a particular social group, they may be eligible for relief as refugees. Such individuals may wish to apply for asylum through their regional INS asylum office. I hope that this information is helpful. Your interest and input are appreciated. Sincerely, Phyllis A. Coven Deputy Associate Attorney General ********************************************************************* * IFCSS Headquarters Office * *-------------------------------------------------------------------* * President: Lin Changsheng Vice President: Shi Heping * * Exec. Director: Liu Xiaozhu Chief of Staff: Huang Songyun * *-------------------------------------------------------------------* * PBS-L is IFCSS's news distribution list for individuals. To sign * * on or off from IFCSS E-mail mailing list, please send email to : * * listserv@ifcss.org * * leave the subject line open and put in the mail body: * * (For signing on) sub PBS-L last_name first_name * * (For signing off) unsub PBS-L last_name first_name * * * * For IFCSS Service Program: ftp: ifcss.org:/services * * * * For more information about IFCSS, write to ifcss-info@ifcss.org * *********************************************************************