[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3707 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3707
To ensure the emergency protection of Iranian dissidents living in Camp
Liberty/Hurriya and to provide for their admission as refugees to the
United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 11, 2013
Mr. Rohrabacher (for himself, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Mr.
Cook, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Issa,
Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Lewis, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Poe of Texas, Mr. Ruiz,
Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr.
Westmoreland) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the
Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To ensure the emergency protection of Iranian dissidents living in Camp
Liberty/Hurriya and to provide for their admission as refugees to the
United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. STATEMENT OF U.S. POLICY.
It shall be the policy of the United States to--
(1) take all necessary and appropriate steps in accordance
with international agreements to support the commitments of the
United States to ensure the physical security and protection of
Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents, members of the opposition
Mujahedeen e-Khalq (MEK), in accordance with the United States
Embassy Statement on Transfer of Security Responsibility for
Camp Ashraf of December 28, 2008;
(2) assist the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees in ensuring the rapid and orderly resettlement of all
residents of Camp Liberty/Hurriya to safe locations outside of
Iraq; and
(3) permit the admission as refugees of the residents of
Camp Liberty/Hurriya to the United States, who express a desire
for such resettlement.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States recognized the residents of the
former Camp Ashraf who now reside in Camp Liberty/Hurriya as
``protected persons'' under the Fourth Geneva Convention and
committed itself to protect the residents until their final
disposition.
(2) The United States expects the Government of Iraq to
continue this commitment of protection of the residents of Camp
Liberty/Hurriya, as reflected in the United States Embassy
Statement on Transfer of Security Responsibility for Camp
Ashraf of December 28, 2008.
(3) The residents of the former Camp Ashraf, who now reside
in Camp Liberty/Hurriya, renounced violence and unilaterally
disarmed more than a decade ago.
(4) Dozens of residents of Camp Liberty/Hurriya were
permanent residents or political refugees in the United States.
(5) Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents have provided valuable
intelligence to the international community concerning efforts
by the Government of Iran to establish a nuclear weapons
capability and to supply the terrorist groups in Iraq with
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
(6) Camp Liberty/Hurriya residents share the desire of the
United States in seeing the establishment of a peaceful,
democratic, non-nuclear government in Iran with full rights for
women and religious and ethnic minorities.
(7) The residents of Camp Liberty/Hurriya are cooperating
in the framework of an agreement between the United Nations and
the Government of Iraq to transfer the residents out of Iraq.
(8) Despite Iraq's acceptance of the U.S. commitment to
protect Camp Ashraf residents, the unarmed residents have been
attacked five times in 2009, 2011, and 2013 during their
residence in the former Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty/Hurriya by
external persons and organizations, including Iraqi security
forces, killing more than 100 residents and wounding 1,000
others.
(9) Iraqi security forces are permanently stationed all
around Camp Liberty/Hurriya, despite their history of violence
against the unarmed residents, while all Liberty/Hurriya
residents are kept inside the Camp's walled compound, with no
freedom of movement for the residents outside the Camp and no
access to counsel, family, NGOs, and press.
SEC. 3. ACTIONS TO PROTECT IRANIAN DISSIDENTS LIVING IN CAMP LIBERTY/
HURRIYA.
(1) The United States shall take all necessary and
appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp
Liberty/Hurriya.
(2) The United States shall provide all necessary and
appropriate assistance to the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees to process applications by the residents of Camp
Liberty/Hurriya for refugee status and to secure their orderly
resettlement in safe locations outside of Iraq, including in
the United States for any such residents who express such a
desire.
(3) The United States shall timely admit as refugees the
residents of Camp Liberty/Hurriya in the U.S. and in doing so
shall not delay or bar such resettlement merely because any
such resident is or has been a member of, or supports or has
supported, organizations or groups that were subject to the
Secretary of State's decision of September 21, 2012, in Public
Notice 8049, notwithstanding Sec. Sec. 212(a)(3)(B) and
212(a)(3)(F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, as
amended.
(4) Within 90 days of the effective date of this Act, the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security shall report to the Congress on steps taken
by the United States to guard the safety of the residents of
Camp Liberty/Hurriya and to secure their orderly resettlement
in safe locations in accordance with the provisions of this
Act.
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