Doris Meissner
Doris Meissner
Doris Marie Meissner is a former Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the agency previously responsible for immigration enforcement in the United States. She headed the INS from October 18, 1993to November 18, 2000, under United States President Bill Clinton and United States Attorney General Janet Reno. She is currently Senior Fellow and Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute and has previously worked at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace...
situation
So we have now a situation where we're in a different demographic.
option prepared
That is not an option I'm prepared to entertain, ... There is no place for an arbitration panel.
clear father returned soon wants
The father made it very clear that he wants Elian returned to him as soon as possible,
again april firm
It was my firm conviction, then and now, that we did the right thing on April 22, and we are doing it again today,
decision legally
It is the right decision legally and it is the right decision morally.
air airplane arms base emerge father flown force hours miami neck operation safe saw tightly wrapped
This was evidenced when I went to Andrews Air Force Base just hours after the operation and saw a safe Elian with his arms wrapped tightly around the neck of his beaming father emerge from the airplane on which he had flown from Miami to Washington,
prepared
That told us we had to be prepared for anything.
blind continuing flow mistake workers
The mistake (in 1986) was being blind to the need for a continuing flow of workers into the economy.
anymore cross diego operations push respond san simply time trying
The smugglers are trying to relocate their operations there, ... They simply can't cross anymore in the San Diego area, so it's time to respond in El Centro and push back the smuggling traffic.
allow cared conditions deeply family forcible sides spoke transfer various
She spoke on various sides of the issue, ... She spoke about how deeply she cared for the child, how much she did not want there to be a forcible transfer, but she also spoke about how she would never part with him, about how the family would never allow the transfer to take place under the conditions that were required. There were many contradictory statements.
space
They need more space and they need more privacy.
belongs
This little boy, who has been through so much, belongs with his father.
admit chapters closing difficult example far history law might operation operations others peers pivotal proved reunion rose shared step textbook throughout view
Where others might have faltered, you rose to the occasion, ... This is not just my opinion, which I admit is biased. This is a view that is shared throughout INS and by your peers in other law enforcement agencies, far and wide, here and abroad. They have described Operation Reunion as a textbook example of operations preparation and execution. It also proved to be the pivotal step in closing one of the most difficult chapters in the history of INS work.
congress credible critical debate longer productive simply step table
I really do think that this is probably a longer debate than simply this Congress. The critical step right now is to have a credible alternative on the table so that it can be a productive debate.