Speech #890138325

The change made in this section does not repeal its provisions. Frankly I do not think there is any member of the Judiciary Committee who felt that this section should be repealed. However. the committee felt and rightly so that some leeway should be made when normal procedures cannot be followed by virtue of circumstances such as those which brought about the entry into this country of some 250.000 Cuban refugees since 1959. Under section 13 of the bill. qualified Cuban refugees will be afforded an opportunity for adjustment of status from parolee to permanent residence upon application made to the Attorney General of the United States without departing therefrom. I would like to point out that the provision is permissive rather than mandatory and does not blanket all Cuban refugees with an adjustment of status. The usual screening process will apply in all cases. Many of us are familiar with the Federal program of assistance administered by the Department of Health. Education. and Welfare designed to render effective asylum to Cuban refugees with opportunities for selfsupport. chiefly through resettlement. The program is carried out in cooperation with volunteer agencies. religious bodies. and civic organizations. Unfortunately. many of the Cuban refugees who are skilled in the practice of law. medicine. and teaching have found it very difficult to apply their skills not only to the detriment of themselves. but to the detriment of our Nation as well. This is chiefly due to the fact that most States require individuals to have either permanent status or citizenship in order to practice their skills or professions. I feel that the action taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee in amending section 245 of existing law is commendable indeed. and certainly will assist greatly in phasing out the Cuban refugee program. By and large the Cuban refugees are a highly skilled group. It is estimated that at least 50 percent of them are in the professional. technical. and managerial fields. This change in section 245 will speed up the resettlement of these refugees and relieve their present dependency on public and private assistance programs. Such action is in our own national interest. As a whole the pending bill will greatly improve existing law.