Mr. Speaker. it has only been a few weeks since I spoke here on the House floor in condemnation of increased exit fees which the Soviet Union has imposed upon prospective emigrants. This new schedule of fees. as we all know. is aimed mainly at Jews wishing to leave the Soviet Union. and the fees range from $5.000 to $37.000 depending on the prospective emigrants level of education. The Soviets call this an educational reimbursement. but in reality it can be regarded as nothing less than extortion. This most recent Soviet injustice comes in the midst of increased AmericanRussian trade activity. Perhaps the Soviets are convinced we will not let human rights stand in the way of making a few dollars in wheat and other trade deals. The Congress of the United States must make it unmistakably clear that we value human rightsincluding the right of emigrationmore than the dollars we stand to make as a result of these new trade deals. We have successfully existed without trading with the Soviet Union for decades. We can certainly wait a little longer and insist upon some standards of human decency on the part of those with whom we intend to trade in the future.
Keywords matched
emigrationmore emigrants