Mr. Speaker. the State Department has approached Congress with a proposal to admit Chilean political refugees to the United States. Traditionally. visa quotas are waived so that citizens victimized by their own country can have a safe haven. Hence. the State Departments suggestion. besides having merit as a humanitarian act. acknowledges that the Chilean junta is violating the human rights of its countrymen. It is now up to the Congress to follow the State Department lead. Until the leaders of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees endorse the plan. it will not be implemented. Unfortunately. the implications of congressional veto go far beyond this single issue.
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