We must insist on enforcement of the law. We are bound by it ourselves. and we will have to insist that others be bound. I call for the United States to work with the Governments of Cuba and Costa Rica to provide for organized and safe transportation of aliens to Costa Rica for further resettlement by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. Refugees seeking political asylum must be resettled by international organizations. Our Government cannot and should not alone try to handle these situations on an ad hoc basis after the aliens have landed. There is just so much we can stand. so much that we should be called upon to stand. If we do not call a halt here and keep this problem within the law that already has been agreed upon and is most generous indeed. the whole structure of the law will collapse and bring about conditions far worse than those at present. and it will bring about a reaction right here on this floor and in the other bodyand throughout the country. of coursewhich might lead to very extreme legislation. The current condition of allowing illegal transportation over treacherous waters outside the normal immigration processing is inhumane and unfair. It is inhumane to force desperate people to risk their lives and pay exorbitant fees to boat owners to make a trip which may end in tragedy. It is unfair to those who .have applied through normal procedures .for immigration to our country within the quotas established by law. While we must be sensitive to human suffering in the world. we should not encourage false hopes and high risks in desperate people. This would be the most cruel of any immigration policy. Mr. President.
Keywords matched
Refugees immigration