Speech #870219867

The subject matter of this legislation is rather well known to the House as action on it has been taken by the House on two separate occasions. First. by passing H.R. 8291 on September 6. 1961. in its original form. and. second. by approving substantially the same legislation in a modified form. H.R. 10079. on The principal purpose of those two bills is to separate from the foreign aid legislation the statutory authority under which the United States may participate in two international programs of assistance to migrants and refugees. and operate unilaterally one assistance program in behalf of refugees. Further. it is the purpose of both bills to provide new authority to assist certain refugees from the Western Hemisphere. Cuban nationals. who entered the United States seeking in this country asylum from Communist persecution. This assistance has been heretofore rendered through the allocation of certain funds taken out of the. Presidents contingency funds appropriated under the foreign aid program. Considerable burden has been placed by the presence of Cuban refugees upon a few communities and Federal assistance became. of course. a matter of vital necessity. None of the four migration and refugee programs could properly be classified under the foreign aid concept as revised last year and the Congress readily agreed with the President when he called for legislation providing separate statutory authority for this type of assistance operations. In addition to the basic authorization. the bili which the managers on the part of the House have now placed before the House. contains authority for the President to meet unexpected refugee and migration problems by using not to exceed $10 million in any fiscal year out of contingency funds appropriated under the foreign aid legislation. The balance of the provisions of the bill reenacts. with appropriate modifications. those administrative provisions of the foreign aid program which are applicable in the administration of the type of assistance envisaged in the bill. Except for the assistance program affecting Cuban refugees. which as a domestic program is administered by the Department of Health. Education. and Welfare. the threie other assistance programs will remain under the administration of the Department of State. specifically under the authority of its Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs. Realizing the importance of the.functions exercised by the Administrator of the Bureau set up pursuant to section 104(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. the Committee on the Judiciary sought to raise the stature of the CVI751 incumbent of that office with a view toward obtaining the services of a person fully qualified to administer the international programs. as well as to supervise all activities of the Department of State in the field of passports. visas. and related immigration and security matters. Provisions to that effect appeared in title I of the bill. H.R. 10079.