Speech #960175492

Mr. Chairman. I rise In support of H.R. 2816. the Refugee Act of 1979. I have long been interested in refugee matters and just 4 months ago visited refugee camps in Southeast Asia. I commend the chairwoman of the Immigration Subcommittee. Congresswoman HOLTZMAN. and the members of that subcommittee for their great accomplishment in developing a fair and responsible program for the admission of refugees to the United States. There is no greater need in the world today than the very basic call for resettlement assistance for the worlds homeless. For far too long our efforts to resettle refugees have been a series of ad hoc legislative and administrative reactions to certain crisis situations. This piecemeal approach is contrary to both our international commitments and our concern for human rights. We have made clear our indignation over the disregard for the rights of countless persons throughout the world who have been abducted from their homes. held without charge or tortured simply because of their race. religion. nationality. or political opinion. We have cried out for those forced to flee their countries and left to languish on open seas or in dismal refugee camps. We have reduced aid to certain nations saying we will not be partners to this brutality. Yet. all too often. those victims on whose behalf we speak. are denied admission to the United States or subject to long. agonizing periods of uncertainty in gaining admission. As the distinguished chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Immigration has observed: In good measure. our countrys humanitarian tradition of extending a welcome to the worlds homeless has been accomplished in spite of. not because of. our laws relating to refugees. H.R. 2816 gives substance to our concerns and meaning to our words. One of its most important. yet fundamental provisions. is the definition of a refugee. In current law refugee status is determined based on outmoded geographical and ideological considerations. Only those fleeing from Communist nations are recognized as refugees. With H.R. 2816 our law will finally be in conformity with the internationally accepted definition of a refugee set forth in the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and Protocol which the United States ratified in 1968. The U.N. definition recognizes as a refugee. any person outside his or her country. who has a fear of persecution based on race. religion. nationality. or political opinion. In fact. this bill takes our law one important step further. It also recognizes the plight of those political prisoners within their own nations who are not able to reach a country of first asylum. United States policy to some extent. already recognizes this need as the Attorney Generals parole -authority has been used to admit groups such as Chilean and Cuban political prisoners directly into the United States. In these instances release has been conditioned on resettlement in the United States. H.R. 2816 separates the admission of refugees from that of routine immigration under the preference system and authorizes the admission of 50.000 refugees a year. It also contains allowances for additional admissions at any given time based on emergency situations and humanitarian concerns. For the first time. a comprehensive statutory procedure for the admission of refugees. will replace the limited conditional entry and parole provisions of existing law. Because of the flexibility this legislation provides. there will be no need for special legislative or administrative actions. in the future in order to meet an urgent resettlement need. Those in need of our assistance will not have to wait for us to act. Title III of this bill establishes a permanent resettlement program for refugees once they are admitted to the United States. One of the primary criticisms of current resettlement efforts is that separate programs serve separate groups. A "patchwork" of Federal programs have emerged to deal with various groups of refugees and as a result there is considerable confusion among both public and private agencies involved in resettlement activities. Needless to say. those intended to be served. are least served by a morass of programs. H.R. 2816 creates a high level Office of Refugee Resettlement within HEW charged with coordinating refugee resettlement programs that include reception and placement of refugees. grants for resettlement services such as English language training. educational and vocational training. counseling. basic orientation. food. clothing and shelter and reimbursement to State governments for cash and medical assistance provided to refugees. This proposal is one of the most important matters before this House. It is a finely tuned piece of legislation that deserves our support. This Nation is for the most part composed of the descendants of refugees from political. religious. and economic oppression. Adoption of H.R. 2816 is in our national and international interest.O