Speech #960244201

We dont intend to do anything without consulting with this Committee and the Senate committee. Its squarely within the spirit of the Act. I submit that the administration is doing anything but complying with the spirit of the Refugee Act. It seems clear to me that Cubans should be considered as refugees under the statute. and thus subject to the consultation procedure as were the first 3.500 refugees who found their way to the Peruvian Embassy. However. all of a sudden the over 100.000 who have followed the 3.500 are not refugees subject to consultation. but are considered to be applicants for asylum. Let me point out that the asylum procedure requires a determination on a case by case basis as to whether an individual is in fact eligible for asylum because of the well founded fear of persecution. The procedures that must be established to determine. for the nearly 100.000 Cubans whether each has a well founded fear of persecution have an unknown but. I submit astronomical cost in time and funds. The Immigration Service certainly has many other responsibilities and duties. In 1975. Indochinese refugees totaled upwards of 150.000 at the fall of Saigon. At that time we stressed the internationalization of the refugee problem and urged our allies to accept their fair share of refugees. Several other countries. such as Australia. France. and Canada have participated since 1975 in resettling refugees from Indochina. During the present refugee crisis. our attempts at internationalization have been total failures. We participated in the conference in San Jose. Costa Rica. whereby a delegation was sent to ask Premier Castro to allow for regularization of the flow of refugees out of his country. That request met total rejection by Castro. It is not apparent what. if any efforts. are being made to bring diplomatic pressure by other members of the world community. particularly by other nations who have relations with Cuba. to accomplish this end. It appears that all refugees are headed toward the United States and we are aware of no plans which are in place for further resettlement of refugees in other third countries. We have become a country of first asylum just as Malaysia and Thailand are countries of first asylum for the boat people of Vietnam. However. those countries have succeeded to bring to the attention of the world the problems they face and in obtaining pledges from the world community to resettle many of those refugees elsewhere. This country has been unable to secure pledges from other friendly nations to do likewise. Another matter that I think should be brought to the attention of the House which is the backlog of persons who are waiting for a visa throughout the world. As of January 1980. there were 1.088.063 persons who have applied for visas throughout the world. For most of them visas are unavailable. If you are a brother of a U.S. citizen and you happen to come from Hong Kong. at present the wait is over 12 years before an immigrant visa becomes available. If you are the married son or daughtera fourth preferencefrom the Philippines. visas are unavailable in that category for the month of June 1980. with no date certain of availability. Yet one who is lucky enough to board a ship in Mariel Harbor. comes to the United States. and claims asylum. is allowed to remain. How can we explain to our citizens that their relatives who are not from Cuba must wait often for years to come legally to this country. while at the same time. any Cuban that appears at the dock at Key West is allowed to come into the United States. An article appeared in the Washington Post. dated Sunday. May 25. 1980. entitled "Mexican Migrant Influx Seen As Border Patrol Is Cut Back." The article discusses the fact that the temporary transfer of more than 100 border patrol agents from the Southwest to Florida to assist with the registration and processing of Cubans has reduced the presence of the border patrol along the Southwest border resulting in estimates of a greatly increased flow of illegal aliens across that border and into the United States. Therefore. we are paying another high. undetermined cost by increasing the number of aliens illegally in this countrya most serious and ongoing problem for which a solution must be found. The admission of Cuban refugees is exacerbating that problem as well. I feel this administration must get its act together and deal with the complex issues created by the influx of Cuban nationals into our country. They must make every effort to internationalize this problem including. if necessary. inviting the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees to send his staff to assist. We must make it clear to other nations in the world. particularly the nations of Central and South America. that we are a country of first asylum. and not. as in this case. q country of final asylum. We should bring pressure on our allies and friends throughout the world to accept a share of these Cuban refugees. particularly those who have no relatives in this country. We should also bring international pressure on Premier Castro to regularize this flow of refugees. We must also deal with persons who are otherwise excludable from the United States pursuant to the various categories of our Immigration and Nationality Act. Mr. Speaker. the majority leader of the House. Congressman Jrm WRIGHT. of Texas. recently commented on some of the lawless action taken by the Cuban refugees at Fort Chaffee. Ark. In his letter of protest to the Director of the Presidents National Security Council.