Speech #910218909

For the wellprepared imperialists. Lets see what they say or do. President Johnson responded on October 3. as he signed the new Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 at the Statue of Liberty. He said: I declare this afternoon to the people of Cuba that those who seek refuge here in America will find it. The dedication of America to our traditions as an asylum for the oppressed is going to be upheld. In an effort to create a safe and orderly flow of refugees. the United States. through the Swiss Embassy in Havana. negotiated a memorandum of understanding with Cuba. Under this international agreement. the United States agreed to provide air transportation for between 3.000 and 4.000 refugees a month. The memorandum provided for priority to be given in this movement to the relatives of Cubans in the United States in order to reunite families that had been split as the result of some members having come to the United States and others not having been able to leave Cuba. Under the memorandum. the Cuban refugee airlift was established December 1. 1965. Two flights a day. 5 days a week. bring refugees from Cuba to the Miami International Airport. There is no question that this airlift ranks with the Berlin Airlift as one of the greatest humanitarian efforts any nation has ever undertaken to provide refuge from tyranny and oppression. Since the airlift was established. through May 22. 1970. 192.159 refugees have been airlifted to the United States. Of these 136.594 have been resettled outside Miami. The characteristics of the refugees whc have arrived on the airlift are: professional. semiprofessional. and managerial workers. 6.5 percent. clerical and sales. 11.7 percent. skilled workers. 9.3 percent. semiskilled. 3.6 percent. service occupations. 3.1 percent. farming and fishing. 1.8 percent. children. students. and housewives. 64.0 percent. The proportion is the same as one could expect in any general family movement. with three out of four persons in an average family consisting of the mother and children. With respect to age. 7.3 percent of the airlifted refugees have been over 65 years. and 4.1 percent between 61 and 65. All of the refugees who have arrived on the airlift are relatives of refugees already in the United States. Practically all are persons who registered in Cuba during the period from November 1965 through May 1966. when Castro permitted persons who wished to leave Cuba to register. From the day these persons indicated their desire to leave. until the day of their departure they have been subjected to continued harassment. loss of jobs. confiscation of property. and forced labor.