CPEB Director Concerned by President's Statements on Immigration

SuperMiron, the Director of the Citizenship and Public Engagement Bureau, has issued a statement expressing his concerns about President MarcoDeVore's plans on immigration.

In the statement, the CPEB Director countered the President's claims that some immigrants have criminal records, stating that "there have been no known issues in the past related to immigrants with criminal records" in Demarcia and defended the functioning of the current system.

The head of the CPEB also questioned whether the President's proposed "screenings" are implementable and expressed his hopes for more information on how the Government plans to make them work. He added, however, that "if the President's intention is merely to reject individuals" known to have done wrong, "it is obviously already the practice under our current legal framework".

SuperMiron also expressed his belief that the country should not reject anybody with a criminal record without taking into account the "nature or severity of the offense" or the "principles of fairness and rehabilitation". He commended the President for clarifying that people escaping persecution on account of their sexual orientation would be accepted, while expressing hope that the President clears up his proposal so that something like that needn't be clarified again.

Furthermore, he criticized the President's mention of "health screenings" at the Sunday's Parliament meeting, stating that "we must ensure that our policies are compassionate and respectful of the dignity of all individuals, regardless of their health status".

The President announced his administration's agenda on 28 July. Dubbed the most militaristic and security-oriented Social Democratic Party platform in Demarcian history, the platform vows to "establish the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA), require the CPEB to be informed by the SIA on non-citizens under investigation, and increase screenings of potential immigrants". It also vows to "establish the Customs and Border Agency to monitor entrance points into our country, such as the Hylix border".

Speaker Penstubal, the Minister of Development and Finance, attempted to quell concerns about the President's immigration proposals, saying that "in the SDP, we have agreed to an immigration policy based on common sense as well as our traditional humanism. There is no cause for alarm."

Tim Bradshaw,

Demarcian Inquirer.