I remember all too well. Mr. President. the deliberations of the Judiciary Committee. the numerous conferences of that committee and the House committee at the time of passage of the Refugee Relief Act. At that time. it was emphasized. and by unanimous action of both committees it was written into the reports. that there would be no extensions of the provisions of the Refugee Relief Act. The numbers prescribed in that act were to be maximum numbers and not necessarily to be used. Of course. Mr. President. as everyone knows who has worked on that legislation. it is not and never was intended solely as an act for the relief of refugees. The fact is that most of the people who have come to our shores via this legislation are not and never have been refugees. This act was likewise an assault upon our basic immigration policy. The offense will be compounded if we now transfer. for use under the general immigration laws. quota numbers which were initially allocated under the Refugee Relief Act. Mr. President. there can be no point at which those who seek to revise our immigration laws would be satisfied. Notwithstanding the fact that the Immigration and Nationality Act is the most liberal immigration act in the history of this country and that this country is the greatest immigration receiving country in the world. the cry is always for more. more. and more. Europes surplus population is said to be increasing by millions every year and in Asia the surpluses are of fantastic proportions. There are those.
Identified stereotypes
Most of the people who have come to our shores via this legislation are not and never have been refugees.