Speech #960183938

Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the distinguished gentlelady from New York with whom I have the honor of working on the Congressional Black Caucus Task Force on Haitian Refugees. My colleague from New York. who is the chairperson of our Task Force on Haitian Refugees. has told the truth in love about our countrys deplorable and disparate treatment of Haitian refugees fleeing from a regime which by any standard is in violation of the most basic political. social. and economic rights. Our distinguished chairperson is facing this reality with courage for she has brought this shameful situation to the attention of our highest officials. including the President of the United States. What needs to be done now is for our Nation to correct itself and receive Haitian refugees with the same open arms that we receive those fleeing from oppression all over the world. by granting the Haitians asylum. In recent months. we have seenas we shoulda growing concern on the part of our Government for the plight of Indochinese refugees. This concern has led President Carter to double the quota for this classification of refugees. The Congress most recently. in response to the administrations request for additional refugee assistance. appropriated $207.3 million for additional assistance to Indochinese refugees. Remarkably. both the authorizing and appropriation bills passed the appropriate committees in less than a weeks time. Soon after. the House passed these bills by voice vote. This alacrity is not only missing in regard to Haitian refugees who are black. but is also absent when it comes to meeting the needs of Americas poorest citizens. We. on the Task Force on Haitian Refugees. are very serious and will be working to build a coalition of conscience that focuses upon the callous. inhumane. and frankly racist treatment afforded Haitian refugees by the U.S. Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It is interesting to note that both of these departments are still largely segregated. For example. a statistical report completed in 1974 showed that blacks comprised only 2.5 percent of the Foreign Service Corps.