Speech #880142731

Mr. President. in behalf of my able colleague from New York and myself. I introduce. for appropriate reference. a joint resolution for the relief of certain Yugoslav refugees. This measure is intended to supersede Senate Joint Resolution 127. which I introduced in the previous session for the relief of the same beneficiaries. Mr. President. I have long been concerned with the plight of refugees and escapees not only from Yugoslavia but from other totalitarian regimes. Today. however. I wish to limit my remarks to the question of Yugoslav refugees only. The resolution I am introducing today is the fourth for Yugoslav refugees which I have introduced in recent months. and I believe it desirable that the RECORD show just exactly what is involved in these four resolutions. The first two which were introduced last session. Senate Joint Resolution 117 and Senate Joint Resolution 127. provided for the cancellation of any outstanding orders and warrants of deportation with respect to a total of 33 named Yugoslav refugees in the first resolution and a total of 15 in the second. These measures were necessary because of the expiration of court stays covering these mens cases which made their deportation imminent. It was and still is my judgment that before the United States should engage in such wholesale deportations to any Communist country. the Congress of the United States ought to intervene and determine its position as a matter of principle on whether a free nation such as ours should toss human beings back into a society and regime to which they have vigorously expressed opposition. Certainly the involuntary repatriation of so many men to Communist Yugoslavia cannot. in my judgment. be less worthy of the attention of this body than. for example. foreign aid and wheat sales to Communist nations. Both of the first two resolutions I introduced contained provisions for ultimately adjusting the status of the named beneficiaries to that of permanent U.S. residents. It has since been brought to my attention that the technical language of these resolutions might. if permanent residence were eventually granted. result in a reduction of quota numbers from the regular Yugoslavian immigration quota. thereby raising the possibility of depriving wouldbe immigrants from Yugoslavia who have been patiently waiting their turn on oversubscribed quota lists. of an opportunity to emigrate here in regular course. For that reason. I decided in effect to reintroduce the resolutions in a form which would avoid that undesirable result.