Mr. Speaker, this bill says the term ``unlawful enemy combatant,'' means, one, a person who is engaged in hostilities or who is purposefully and materially supportive of hostilities against the United States; or, two, a person who has been determined to be an unlawful enemy combat status, review tribunal, or another competent tribunal established under the authority of the President.
In other words, you could become an unlawful enemy combatant because you are adjudged by a tribunal; or, one, because the President says so without a tribunal. Otherwise, this language has no meaning. That's page 3 of the bill.
And if you look at page 93 of the bill, you find that no court shall have jurisdiction to hear an application for writ of habeas corpus or for an application relating to any aspect of the detention transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of confinement of an alien who is an unlawful enemy combatant.
In other words, anyone other than the citizen can be accused by the President or by any bureaucrat of being an unlawful enemy combatant, thrown into jail, and get no benefits.
We have heard repeatedly that we are giving rights to terrorism. No, we are not. We are not trying to give rights to terrorists. We are saying that before someone is accused of rape or murder, you don't string them up; you first give them a trial and then string them up.
And what they are saying, what this bill says is the President or his designee can designate someone as an unlawful enemy combatant, and, with no trial, no hearing, no status review, no nothing, throw them in jail forever. That is un-American. It is worse than what we rebelled against the King of England for in 1776, and we should be ashamed of ourselves.