Speech #880023713

Mr. President. events of recent days have brought to the fore a matter which has largely been ignored in this country. although it can cause painful consequences if it is ignored any longer. That is the activity of the Cuban refugees and their recent forays against Cuba. Not much has been said about the fact that since the Castro government took power. some 250.000 Cubans have come to the United States. nearly all of them simply as guests of the United States. They are not here under immigration quotas. but are outside them. They are here in a form of asylum. despite the fact that it has never been a normal practice for the United States to receive political refugees. except as immigrants who have come to live here as permanent residents. As noted in Hackworths Digest of International Lawvolume II. page 622: The Government of the United States has strongly disapproved of the principle of asylum as such and has declined to recognize or subscribe to it as a part of international law. Yet about 95 percent of the registered Cuban refugees over the past 2 years have entered this country under a visa waiver. and are on parole here. The provision of law which authorizes such a proceeding is section 212(d) (5). which reads: The Attorney General may in his discretion parole into the United States temporarily under such conditions as he may prescribe for emergency reasons or for reasons deemed strictly in the public interest any alien applying for admission to the United States. but such parole of such alien shall not be regarded as an admission of the alien and when the purposes of such parole shall. in the opinion of the Attorney General. have been served the alien shall forthwith return or be returned to the custody from which he was paroled and thereafter his case shall continue to be dealt with in the same manner as that of any other applicant for admission to the United States. CIX334 There appears in the same statute. the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. the following provision. just a few paragraphs after the provision I have already cited: Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the Interests of the United States. he may by proclamation. and for such period as he shall deem necessary. suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants. or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. We know that the use of the mass parole provided by the 1952 act. although contrary to American practice. and quite unique in our history. was completely justified on humanitarian grounds alone. We have done more than merely admit these people.