Speech #850089064

Mr. President. on Friday last. 10 Senators transmitted to the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate an urgent request for hearings on immigration bills. particularly those relating to refugees and escapees. There are some 23.000 Hungarian refugees in this country alone. who are awaiting regularization of their status. Hungarian teenagers who fought for freedom in Hungary are languishing in Austria and other places in Europe. without a fair opportunity for us to take our fair share. We feel very strongly that to implement the resolution adopted by this body only last week. calling for action on the United Nations Special Report on Hungary. we need to do something. and to do it at this session. The need is urgent. and we should do something immediately. upon this immigration subject. I should like to read at this point the last paragraph of the statement sent to the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary by the 10 Senators to whom I have referred: As the Hungarian refugee situation remains unresolved and as the peoples of the world look to the representatives of the people of the United States. the Congress. for action. the necessity for enactment of the pending legislation becomes more urgent. We believe that the time has come for your committee to take affirmative action if any progress is to be made on this vital problem at this session of the Congress. as we are deeply convinced it must be in the national interest. I point out that this situation affects also refugees from the Nasser dictatorship in Egypt. as well as refugees from the Hungarian terror of the Communists. I know of nothing which could remind the world more effectively of what humanitarism really means than our action in again recalling to the world the heroic example set by the great Hungarian people by admitting some of these heroic refugees. The decks are now cleared for the Committee on the Judiciary. We will be considering the subject of civil rights in the Senate. and I hope very much that the committee will take this time for the purpose of considering this urgently essential immigration legislation.