Speech #870167315

Chairman. I rise in support of the amendment. The purpose o the amendment is to eliminate from section 2(a) of Public Law 86648--act of July 14. 1960. 75 Stat. 504the date on which the Attorney General is directed to discontinue the paroling into the United States of certain refugeeescapees defined in section 1 of the said law and in section 15(c) (1) of the Act of September 11. 195771 stat. 643644. The termination of the discretionary power vested in the Attorney General under the 1960 law may occur. at any time. by action of the House or the Senate. as prescribed by that portion of section 2 of Public Law 86648 which will remain in force. the instant amendment notwithstanding. With the expiration. on March 25. 1962. of section 15 of the Act of September 11. 1957repealed pursuant to section 24(a) (4) (b) of the Act of September 26. 196175 Stat. 657the utilization of section 212(d) (5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. as authorized by Public Law 86648. will remain the sole instrumentality for the participation of the United States in internationally concerted efforts to cope with the steadily diminishing. but still existing. problem of the resettlement of refugees who are within the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It appears necessary to state at this point that Public Law 86648 in its concept as well as in administrative operations undertaken thereunder does not provide for the inception of a large immigration program as such programs were authorized pursuant to legislation enacted in the aftermath of World War II. in 1948. 1950. and 1953. This is basically a program designed to provide a remedy and a possible solution for what might be properly called "unfinished business" in the refugee situation. namely. the resettlement of a rather negligible number of older residue cases. The law also offers an opportunity to provide relief in deserving cases of more recent refugees whose claim to such status as defined in the law Is satisfactorily sustained by facts. Numerically. the program Is predicated on the "fair share" principle under which the United States may accept for resettlement not to exceed 25 percent of the number of refugees who within specified 6month periods have been admitted for resettlement by other cooperating countries of the free world. Since the inception of the program in the autumn of 1960 until midFebruary 1962. total entries in the United States numbered 5.806 persons. as illustrated by the following chart. Cumulative report of refugeeescapees paroled under act of July 14. 1960. as of Feb. 19. 1962 Country of last residence Country from which escaped Total Austria Belgium France Germany Greece Italy Lebanon Total ------------------ 5.806 990 420 1.754 780 319 1.223 820 Albania ------------ --- - 258 12 80 18 6 3 89 ---------Bulgaria ---------------- 121 9 22 17 8 35 10 20 Czechoslovakia --------------- 4 2 --------- 1 .--------- --..........---------EastGermany ---------..2.---------- 1 1 ---------- . .--- .................... Estonia ----------- ......--- - - -.10 -----4 .6 Hungary -------------------- 815 378 99 i22 176 2 3 2 Iraq- - - 5 5 Latvia ---------------------- 41 1 ---------- 3 36" 1------- I -------Lithuania ----------------- 24 ----- ---------- 4----- -------------------Poland .............. . 608 S2 89 150 226 21- ---------Rumania -------------------- 770 153 35 167 14 93 47 261 Turkey---------------........ 5-------------4 1 .................................. United Arab Republic (Egypt) ------------------- 618 3 570 --------- 5 16 24 Syria ------ -------------13.---- ---------- . ------.. .. . . -..........-- - 13