Speech #920111538

Jews around the world have won one battle in the struggle to ease the plight of Soviet Jews. For many months. I and many others have been attempting to have the United States make it absolutely clear that we are willing to accept any Soviet Jews allowed to emigrate. Now. in a major shift of policy. the Nixon administration has unequivocally stated that it will act to admit Soviet Jews into the United States if and when they are allowed to leave the Soviet Union. In a letter dated September 30. sent to Congressman EMANUEL CELLER. chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Attorney General John Mitchell said: The mounting evidence that Soviet Jews have unsuccessfully sought permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union has compelled a Departmental reexamination of the Attorney Generals parole authority with respect to refugees .... Accordingly. I can assure you that I would exercise my discretion if the situation demanded and parole Soviet Jews who are able to leave the Soviet Union. Great credit for our success in getting this commitment from the Attorney General must go to Chairman EMANUEL CELLER Of the House Judiciary Committee. House Minority Leader GERALD FORD and Immigration Subcommittee Chairman PETER W. RODINO. Jr. The thousands of Jews and nonJews in this country concerned about the plight of Soviet Jews surely share my gratitude toward these men. The willingness of our Government to state now that we are ready to accept Soviet Jews recognizes that the special harassment to which Soviet Jews are subjected requires special attention at this time. Our attitude is a challenge to the Soviet to permit emigration and an example of moral persuasion to other countries. Prior to the Attorney Generals letter. the problem for all concerned was not only to persuade the Soviet Union to allow the emigration of Jews. but also to secure from this country a guarantee that Jews could enter if they wished. Now that the latter has been done. we must press even harder than before to force the Soviet Government through world public opinion to allow the Jews to leaveto reunite with their families. wherever they might be. or to go to Israel. the Jewish homeland. The Attorney General may grant entry under parole status when no visas are available. as would be the case for Jews allowed out of the Soviet Union. In the past. Cuban. Czech. and Hungarian refugees have been allowed to enter in this fashion. However. the administrationfor a long timehas balked at making a commitment to use this executive parole authority and that is why in March of this year I introduced a bill. H.R. 5606. that would provide 30.000 nonquota refugee visas for Soviet Jews. Given the administrations earlier reluctance. I introduced this bill so that the Congress could invoke its primary authority in this area and do by law what the executive branch refused to do administrativelyto welcome Soviet Jews.