Speech #940056853

During this period our country underwent a period of deep introspection causing us to constantly reevaluate our role in the world community. We have learned a great deal from our experience in Indochina during this critical period and fortunately we can now close that chapter in our history. The bill before us today. the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975. in some ways begins a new chapter. a chapter which we trust will lend itself to an era of reconstruction rather than the destruction we have witnessed over the last decade. By authorizing funds to assist in the resettlement of refugees we are replacing "weapons of wars" with funds for transportation to safe havens. health care. food and blankets and most importantly an opportunity for a new life in this countrya life of dignity and hope. Certainly. efforts to grant assistance to these people should not be considered a burden but a redeeming obligation. We have witnessed over the past couple of weeks a refugee movement of unprecedented proportions. During this time over 100.000 refugees have been transported thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean. This represents an historic movement for the United States since it is only the second time in our history that we have become a country of first asylum. and it is the first time that our Government has directly assisted refugees in escaping persecution in their native country. I am hopeful and confident that the response of the Congress and the American people to these refugees will be consistent with our immigrant heritage and our demonstrated willingness on past occasions to accept with open arms the destitute. the oppressed. and those who flee persecution. It is needless to recite the long list of humanitarian actions by our country in providing a haven for the homeless and a refuge for those attempting to escape tyranny over the last three decades. We are now faced with a situation where large numbers of Vietnamese have already reached the United States or are in the process of being transported here in the very near future.