At the invitation of the Federal Government of the United States of America, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will conduct an on-site visit to El Paso, Texas, from July 7 to July 9, 1999, for the purpose of observing and gathering information concerning immigration and asylum processes in that region.

The Commission’s delegation is composed of Dr. Jean Joseph Exumé, Commission Member; Dr. David J. Padilla, Assistant Executive Secretary; Drs. Relinda Eddie and Pablo Saavedra, human rights attorneys; Ms. Tania Hernandez, administrative assistant; Mr. Gerard François and Ms. Elizabeth Roure, interpreters.

The Commission is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) which was created pursuant to its Charter, to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the Americas, and to serve as a consultative organ to the OAS in these matters. The visit is being conducted within the framework of the OAS Charter, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, as well as the Commission’s Statute and its Regulations. These instruments define the international law of human rights within the Inter-American System for persons in the United States of America.

The Commission appreciates the openness with which the Government of the United States of America extended the invitation to carry out this visit.