Update on Law lifting ban to allow HIV-positive immigrants to enter US
Posted by acorcoran on August 2, 2008
We reported to you not long ago that Congress had approved a measure, and I gather the President has signed it, to lift the ban on HIV-positive immigrants to the US. The ban had been in place since the 1980’s.
Now comes a group called “Immigration Equality” that describes itself as follows:
Immigration Equality is a national organization fighting for equality under U.S. immigration law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive individuals. Founded in 1994 as the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force, we have grown to a membership of 10,000 people in cities all over the country. We are run by a Board of Directors and have full-time staff in our National Headquarters in New York. Immigration Equality is funded by donations from our members as well as generous support from private foundations.
Immigration Equality helps Gays and Lesbians seek asylum in the US. Here is a portion of their website dealing with asylum. I guess their work must be stepped up in recent times as the internet is full of photos of gay men being hanged in Islamic countries like Iran.
Anyway here is what they are telling their members what the next step is to make sure the ban removal is fully implemented.
When the President signs the Pepfar bill (which could be as early as this Wednesday) the statutory HIV ban will be removed. That is, the HIV ban will no longer be written into the Immigration and Nationality Act which is extraordinarily good news. This is just the first step though, in a two step process. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has the authority to decide which illnesses constitute “communicable diseases of public health significance.” Currently, HIV is on this list, meaning that the HIV ban will not immediately be lifted with the passage of Pepfar. So, what happens next?.
We must now set our sights on HHS. and urge them to strike HIV from its list. Immigration Equality is working in coalition with other organizations now to determine the best way to approach HHS. In order for the ban to be fully repealed, HHS will have to issue proposed regulations, allow for public comments, and then issue final regulations. This could be a lengthy (and contentious) process.
Refugees have already been admitted to the US with HIV/AIDS, a reader had previously told us how that has come about here.
By the way, did I mention that the taxpayer will be paying for the treatment of these new immigrants, as we already pay for refugees HIV medicine.
jim said
Is Barney Frank or Elton John on the board of directors of this organization?
acorcoran said
Jim, I’ll check that for you.
BTW, a reader sent some recent links on how we aren’t doing enough for HIV/AIDS people in the US:
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0241418020080802?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2934368420080729
And then this is an interesting link esecially because we reported just the other day (see health category) about how many refugees arrive with parasitic worms:
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2236482320080723
acorcoran said
Jim, here are the Board members as of November 2007:
Donna Dennis Director Jaime Santos Director Elizabeth McGrail Director Christopher Nugent Director Mark Jones Chair Mark Gasparini Treasurer Sophie Fanelli Director Rubén Rivera Director Scott Titshaw Secretary Samuel Toba
jim said
The U.S is spending way too much on people with aids and should be re directing our money to those with cancer and heart problems. Many people aren’t aware how influential the homosexual lobby is. 20 years ago we weren’t spending inordinate amounts of money on HIV. There is an organization called the human rights campaign. It is one of the largest pro homosexual lobbying organizations. This group is funded by the heir to the hormel meat fortune.. He is a self proclaimed homosexual. Also a dirty little secret in Washington is many staff aids of congress, including so called conservative congress members, are homosexual. They wield alot of influence.
What we can do for those caught up in the destructive lifestyle of homosexuality is pray they will come out of their delusion……
Road Sassy » Diseased and Hostile Refugees: Your new neighbors said
[...] Anyway here is what they are telling their members what the next step is to make sure the ban removal is fully implemented. Update on Law lifting ban to allow HIV-positive immigrants to enter US [...]
acorcoran said
Activist applauding the US for lifting the ban:
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20168
HIV epidemic (in the US!) reported among Black immigrants from Africa « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] is that HIV positive refugees have been allowed to enter the US and it obliquely mentions that no one will be barred from entering with HIV in the very near future (thanks to a bill signed into law by President [...]