Speech #960175472

Mr. Chairman. I thank the gentlewoman from New York. the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Immigration. for yielding this time to me. I want to commend her and the ranking minority member of the subcommittee for their diligence and their continued efforts in behalf of those who need the kind of assistance and the kind of understanding that this committee has given to these people. who indeed are looking for help from all over the world because they become the flotsam of the world. These are the people whom we call the refugees. Mr. Chairman. we are considering today. H.R. 2816. the Refugee Act of 1979. which establishes rational. comprehensive and humane refugee policies and procedures for our country. I think it is particularly significant that this legislation comes at a time when our countrys commitment to human rightsour countrys image around the worldhas been drawn into question. This bill clearly reflects our genuine concern for all refugees around the world and it shows that we are prepared to provide a haven for those unfortunate people who have been driven from their homes and expelled from their countries. Mr. Chairman. this legislation fills a critical void in our present immigration law and enhances our commitment to human rights. The -phenomena of refugee situations in the world which at one time were perceived as temporary and comparatively easy to resolve. now loom as a fact of life which requires continuous and long range solutions. not only on the part of the United States. but also by all the freedom loving nations of the world. This legislation. which I introduced along with the gentlewoman from New York on behalf of the administration. is the product of lengthy hearings by the Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law. It was overwhelmingly supported by the members of that subcommittee and the full Committee on the Judiciary during the markup sessions. In fact. the bill was reported out favorably by the full committee on September 19by a vote of 20 to 6. In essence. this legislation would broaden the definition of persons who may be admitted as refugees under normal immigration to conform to the U.N. Convention and Protocol relating to refugees and would increase normal flow refugee admissions to not more than 50.000 persons per year. It would also provide for the admission of additional refugees in foreseen and unforeseen emergencies. Finally. it would establish comprehensive authorization to assist in the resettlement of refugees in the United States. The first U.S. programs providing for the admission of refugees were established following World War II. Since 1945. we have admitted into the United States over 2 million refugees under programs authorized both administratively and legislatively. but always undertaken on an ad hoc basis in response to a serious refugee emergency that had developed. In 1965. amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act specifically provided for the admission of an annual flow of refugees to the United States. However. despite this statutory procedure. most of the refugees continue to be admitted outside the regular provisions of the law. Because of the restrictive definition of "refugee" and the limited refugee numbers available under current law. numerous parole programs have been initiated and implemented by the executive branch over the past two decades. The wide scope of this authority is clearly evident when you look at the number of refugees admitted during that period32.000 Hungarian refugees in 1958. over 650.000 Cubans since 1961. 223.000 Indochinese refugees since the spring of 1975. 46.000 Soviet Jews since January 1977. as well as numerous other smaller programs involving Ugandans. Lebanese. Chileans.