Speech #870291940

Mr. President. when I was honored with the assignment as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Refugees and Escapees. it appeared to me that one of the most important tasks before us was to secure a comprehensive survey of refugees who had come to America. How had these refugees adjusted to American life. what was their employment experience. what contributions had they made to our society. what demands had they placed on our community and governmental institutions. what effects on our economy and society resulted from their presence? Over the last 15 months. the subcommittee has consulted with the Director of the Bureau of the Census. the heads of a number of research organizations including several associated with leading universities in the country. and the representatives of the voluntary social service agencies which assisted in the resettlement of refugees in the United States. We have now received a number of preliminary proposals from research agencies outlining the scope of such a survey and suggesting how it should be conducted. In addition to the study which we hope to have undertaken by a research group. it appears that the Bureau of the Census could play a most significant role in collecting data on refugees as a part of its current population survey. The Subcommittee on Refugees proposes to seek the support of private organizations and foundations at least in the pilot aspects of this survey. If it appears justified we may. at a later date. come to the Senate with a request for such funds as may be needed by the Bureau of Census if a specialized survey and questionnaire by that agency appears to be necessary. or if available private funds are inadequate to finance all aspects of the study. For the coming fiscal year. Congress will appropriate in the neighborhood of $100 million for refugee programs. About onefifth of this amount will be for the support of international refugee organizations and for our direct programs of refugee relief abroad. About $70 million will be appropriated for the Cuban refugee program in the United States. Additional millions will be expended in the form of surplus food to be distributed under Public Law 480. We have considerable information on the refugees abroad who are receiving aid under these various programs. But of the former refugees. many of whom are now American citizens. we know little. Since the end of World War II. the United States has provided a haven for over threequarters of a million refugees. The great majority of them have been admitted under special acts of Congress rather than under our general immigration laws. Beginning with the enactment of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. Congress has passed at least 10 measures to facilitate the immigration of persons who had fled from their native lands and were unable to return to them without peril of persecution because of their political or religious beliefs. Our motives in welcoming these people to our shores have been several. Among them is a humanitarian concern for people in distress. We were concerned also with assisting friendly nations who were the countries of original asylum for large refugee populations which they were unable to absorb or to care for. We admitted refugees as a part of our obligations as the leading nation of the free world. Last. but certainly not least. was the fact that many of the refugees were relatives of Americans and most appropriately. we took action to reunite families which had been separated by the inexorable course of tragic world events. It is my hope that the Subcommittee on Refugees will be able to join private and governmental efforts to produce a comprehensive study of the adjustment of these refugees to life in America. We will strive to sponsor a study which will be as objective as is humanly possible and which will produce information of direct value to the Senate and the Nation in our future consideration of refugee problems.