Speech #910328104

Much has been said and much will be said concerning the facts surrounding the attempted escape of this young Lithuanian and his seeking of political asylum. If there is anything to come out of this tragic misfortune. it should be the rededication and reaffirmation to the basic tenets of our way of life and our tradition as a land of asylum for the oppressed and the persecuted. In revewing just the recent legislative history of the United States since World War II in the refugee field. the Congress and the executive have consistently taken action to effectuate in a fast and effective manner measures to insure the escapees and refugees were offered a chance for asylum in the United States. During this period we had a succession of laws including the Displaced Persons Act. the Refugee Relief Act. Hungarian Refugee Act. the Fair Share Refugee Act in recognition of World Refugee Year. as well as U.S. participation in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. and the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration. Special programs for Chinese refugees from Hong Kong. Dutch refugees from Indonesia. Old Believers from Asia were undertaken. a continued alertness to assist refugees from Eastern Europe was never forgotten. More than 1 million refugees have been accepted in the United States since 1945. The United States is a signatory to the United Nations Protocol Relating to Refugees. This protocol adopted the definition of refugees from the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees as persons who are outside of and are unwilling to return to their respective countries of nationality or habitual residence because of wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race. religion. nationality. membership of a particular social group or political opinion. By becoming a signatory to this protocol. the United States is automatically bound to the basic provisions of the 1951 convention prohibiting the expulsion or return of refugees to territories where life or freedom would be threatened. The protocol and the refugee provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act are the foundation of our current policy toward refugees. The Immigration and Nationality Act provides that 10.200 defined refugees may enter the United States each year. Additionally. this act provides that the Attorney General can parole persons into the United States for emergent reasons or for reasons deemed strictly in the public interest. Only a few months ago. when it became evident that numbers for refugee admissions would be exhausted prior to the end of the fiscal year. the members of the Judiciary Committee suggested to the Attorney General.. who readily agreed. that refugees be paroled until members became available so that the United States would not have to turn its back on persons seeking freedom. The decades of good works and good services dedicated to helping the oppressed should not be forgotten because of the tragic incident involving this young Lithuanian freedom seeker. Therefore. I call upon the Congress to approve this sense of Congress resolution reaffirming the traditional concern of the United States for refugees and for the individual human being.