Mr. Speaker. the Cuban refugee program. which President Johnson inaugurated in a speech at the foot of the Statue of Liberty on October 3. 1965. has passed an important milestone. With the completion of the 100th flight on Monday. February 14. 1966. more than 8.700 Cubans. including hundreds of families. have been given a haven from Communist tyranny through the help and generosity of the American people. While Dictator Castro is bent on the destruction of the family as the foundation of Cuban society. the people of this country have extended a helping hand to these Cuban refugees by uniting their families so that they can return to their homeland when that country is again free. Of the 8.700 Cubans arriving in the United States since the new exodus began on December 1. 1965. approximately 5.300 or 61 percent of the refugees have been resettled in communities throughout the United States. while an estimated 3.400 or 39 percent have been reunited with families and relatives in the Miami area. A preliminary survey of the operations of the program by the legislative assistant of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Nationality reveals that the refugees are being forced to leave Cuba with only 44 pounds of luggage. Castro is stripping these refugees of all their worldly possessions. By seizing their belongings. Castro is banking hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to bolster his shaky economy. Because of the national and internal significance of the Cuban refugee program. the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Nationality. of which I am chairman. is making a fullscale study of the programits benefits and problems. From time to time. as the study progresses. I will make regular reportsboth formal and informalto the Congress outlining the information gathered by the subcommittee.
Keywords matched
Immigration refugee refugees