Hyde wants crackdown on terrorists

This story, republished from our archives, first ran April 22, 1995.

Rep. Henry Hyde is pledging to intensify efforts to pass legislation to make the nation's borders safer against terrorists.

But some civil libertarians are criticizing the proposed legislation for violating basic freedoms.

The Wood Dale Republican, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, believes a pending Clinton administration anti-terrorism bill is headed in the right direction, a Hyde spokesman said Friday. But Hyde wants to add additional safeguards to the bill.

One measure Hyde wants to add is to make it easier for the United States to deny entry into the country for foreign nationals linked to terrorist groups. For now, foreigners must have committed a terrorist act or be deemed likely to do so inside the United States to be denied entry into the county. Hyde would like membership in a terrorist organization alone to be enough to deny someone entry.

Georgetown University law Professor David Cole said he thought the broader standard was a bad idea.

"It essentially would resurrect a policy in this country that we reject: guilt by association," Cole said. "You can't presume from membership that the person is a terrorist."

Cole pointed out that organizations associated with violence have wings that do legitimate, legal activities.

Hyde also is looking to end abuse of political asylum rules in this country.

Sam Stratman, a spokesman for Hyde, noted that the judiciary committee had been considering anti-terrorism legislation earlier this month before the Oklahoma City bombing.

Whether the bombing was an act of domestic or international terrorism, there are weaknesses in America's shields against terrorism that need to be addressed, Stratman said.