mr. chairman , i yield myself the balance of the time . 
mr. chairman , contrary to what my distinguished friend from new jersey says , there are no onerous new requirements to meet the standard for asylum . 
page 2 of the managers amendment incorporated in the bill says the applicant has to establish that he is a refugee within the meaning of this section . 
the applicant must establish that race , religion , nationality , membership in a particular cultural group or political opinion was or will be a central reason for persecuting the applicant . 
now , that means that all of the jewish people who were turned away on the st . 
louis prior to the second world war would have qualified because they were being persecuted in nazi germany because of their religion . 
people who have been engaged in what was used to be called anti-soviet activities in the former soviet union , that was a political opinion , they would have been eligible for asylum . 
and the comments that the gentleman from new jersey makes about torture are simply not true . 
this bill does not impact the obligations of the united states under the convention to prevent torture by prohibiting the deportation of people to countries that torture them . 
now , simply what is stated is that the burden of proof is on the applicant , just like it ought to be , like it is on our constituents who apply for social security disability . 
and it sets up standards for determining the credibility of the witness . 
if the witness comes and says , gee , i made a mistake because i forgot the birth date and admits to that mistake , that certainly is exonerating evidence . 
vote down the amendment . 
all of these arguments are a red herring . 
