Speech #870006826

Mr. President. a misunderstanding has arisen regarding the major provision of proposed refugee legislation which my colleague from New York and I introduced last week along with Senators MORSE. SALTONSTALL. CASE of New Jersey. and SCOTT. According to a story by the Associated Press. Representative FRANCIS WALTER. the distinguished chairman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration. believes my colleagues and I have overestimated the desire of refugees to come to the United States. He is quoted as saying: They couldnt get 40.000 refugees if they advertised in every newspaper in Europe. To make the record perfectly clear. our bill would provide nonquota visas available for up to 40.000 refugee escapees who are defined in section 6 of the act as follows: (a) the term "refugeeescapee" means any alien who. because of persecution or fear of persecution on account of race. religion. or political opinion. has fled or shall flee (1) from any Communist. Communistdominated. or Communistoccupied area. (2) from any country within the general area of the Middle East. or (3) from other countries or areas in which forces opposed to the free world and free institutions are at work. and who cannot return to such area. or to such country. on account of race. religion. or political opinion. Obviously we have not limited the 40.000 visas to European refugees for the simple reason that the refugee problem cannot be limited to Europe. It is unfortunately true that there are an estimated 61.000 refugees living outside and 12.000 living inside refugee camps in Europe. Many have been stateless and homeless for 5 years. while most of those still in camps have been there anywhere from 10 to 15 years. In addition. 110.000 Chinese are seeking temporary refuge in Hong Kong. and several thousand nonAsiatic refugees are on the Chinese mainland. Despite the uncertain future confronting escapees from Communist countries. still they come. In 1961. 200.000 East Germans fled into West Germany. and an additional 10.000 nonGerman refugees escaped from Iron Curtain countries. Some 50.000 Cubans have fled their homeland. many coming to the United States where present law does not make them eligible to apply for citizenship should they so desire. It is impossible to predict from where the next wave of refugees may come. All we know is that our present immigration laws leave us hopelessly unprepared to cope with any reasonable number. Emergency legislation was required in 1956 to admit almost 40.000 Hungarian freedom fighters and their families. and it would be needed again if a similar crisis developed. Last year we passed a very limited bill which would permit the United States to take up to 25 percent of the total number of refugees from Europe admitted by other nations. While it is a step in the right direction. the bill does not discharge our national obligation as leader of the free world toward the thousands of men. women. and children. many with relatives and friends in the United States. who want to live and work in freedom and become useful members of a free society. The admission of 40.000 people provided in our bill. S. 552. seems to be a most modest number when compared with the magnitude of the world refugee problem. Of course. we do not know exactly how many refugees would want to come to the United States this week or next year. if they could. but in the name of humanity let us make provision to welcome our fair share. let us give them the opportunity to immigrate here. Let us start now to establish a national policy toward refugeeescapees which will rescue them from the terrible discouragements. repeated defeats. and human misery which some have endured for more than a decade. The people who have had the courage and the will to flee from tyranny should know that we are mindful of their sacrifice and their need and that the American people stand ready to help. This we can do by passing major refugee and immigration legislation during this session. The bill my colleagues and I have introduced would not provide visas which would go begging. I do not believe we would have to advertise for applicants. because the United States still stands as the unparalleled land of opportunity for freedomloving people wherever they may be. Once Congress acts favorably on such a bill and the word goes out. we will not have to advertise.