Mr. President. in a few moments we are going to appropriate about a halfbillion dollars. an action which I support. to assist the refugees from Southeast Asia. I know we are anxious to have the rollcall. but I think it not Inappropriate to take just a few minutes to suggest that we ought to turn our thoughts to the suffering American refugeesthose who are now In exile or cannot live openly in -this country for fear of prosecution for their objection to the Vietnam war that caused these refugees to come to our shores. While I do not seek a vote today on an unconditional amnesty amendmnent to the Refugee Assistance Act. [ believe that Congress has too long neglected its responsibility to decide the question of amnesty for Vietnam war draft evaders and deserters. In its report on S. 1661. the bill just passed. the Committee on Foreign Relations comments: American military Involvement in South Vietnam and Cambodia has now ended. The committee hopes that the devisiveness created by this long and tortuous involvement will also be ended and that Americans will unite in opening their arms and their hearts to the refugees who fled from South Vietnam in fear of their safety. Our vote has shown that we support that sentiment overwhelmingly. But I would also hope that we can extend this same humanity to our own citizens who fled this country. not. many of them. for fear of their own safety. but because they could not fight in a war they believed to be wrong.
Keywords matched
refugeesthose Refugee refugees