Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN (May 18, 2010) – The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing entitled “Renewing America's Commitment to the Refugee Convention: The Refugee Protection Act of 2010” on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 10:00 am EST (9:00 am CST). The Advocates for Human Rights has submitted a statement for the record to draw the Committee’s attention to specific gaps in the domestic implementation of international human rights treaty obligations related to protection for refugees and asylum seekers.

The Refugee Protection Act was introduced on March 15 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980. The 1980 law was enacted to fulfill the United States’ obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.

“The Refugee Protection Act would eliminate many obstacles to protection faced by asylum seekers,” says Michele Garnett McKenzie, director of advocacy at The Advocates for Human Rights. The Advocates for Human Rights provides free legal services to hundreds of asylum seekers in the Upper Midwest each year. “Passage of the Refugee Protection Act would be a significant step toward bringing the United States into compliance with our obligations under the Refugee Act.”

The Advocates for Human Rights sees victims of persecution denied asylum because of barriers to protection embedded in the law. One client, a woman who fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo following prolonged detention, during which time she was raped, sought asylum in the United States. Because she did not have proof of her entry date, she was denied asylum after hearings spanning more than three years. She remains in the U.S. under an order of “withholding” of removal.

The hearing can be viewed via be webcast at http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4597.