Speech #960244230

I also wish to commend the gentleman from Illinois for taking this time tonight to emphasize this very important problem. Mr. Speaker. just recently. a member of the majority party of the other body stated: "We have lost control of immigration to this country." There is a great deal of truth in this statement. On March 17. 1980. the President signed Public Law 96212. the Refugee Act of 1980. This legislation. endorsed by the administration. was supposed to adequately deal with refugees and those seeking asylum in this country. However. in passing this legislation. the Congress delegated almost absolute authority over refugees to the executive branch. Lets make no mistake about it. according to the Refugee Act. the President can bring into the United States any number of refugees he wishes to admit. The Congress has retained little control over refugee matters. But we are certainly left with plenty to do as far as the aftermath of Presidential refugee policy is concerned. The Congress is left to deal with overcrowded schools and medical clinics. scarce housing facilities. rising unemployment. sharply increased welfare costsit is estimated that the recent Cuban influx will cost over $300 million for processing the refugeesand we are left to handle law enforcement problems with some of the refugees. When the Refugee Act was considered in the House. I successfully offered an amendment that added a strong congressional oversight mechanism to the legislation. Either House of Congress was given the authority to reject a Presidential determination to bring in certain amounts of refugees in certain instances. This amendment. which gave the Congress the right to set refugee policy on a more equal basis with the President in accordance with the constitutional obligations of the legislative branch. was dropped in the conference process with the administration urging deletion. In light of the Cuban refugee situation. I think the lack of substantive congressional oversight regarding refugee policy is a serious deficiency that can no longer be overlooked. There is no doubt in my mind that the Refugee Act of 1980 must be reopened and perfected. Make no mistake about it. I support a humane refugee policy. However. I do think that we in the Congress have every right to have a major role in determining U.S. immigration policy. We in the Congress should not be throwing our hands in the air declaring we have lost control of immigration to the United States. We should be doing something about regaining control. Now as far as the Cuban refugee situation is concerned. we have over 100.000 Cuban refugees in the country. Apparently the administration has not decided exactly what they should do with them. Nobody could have anything but compassion for the Cuban people because they have suffered tremendously under the harsh. uncivilized. totalitarian rule of Fidel Castro. We have to admire their courage as well as their quest for a decent and free life. I believe the American people support the idea of giving aid and comfort to some of the refugees if the refugees are taken into the country in a rational. orderly manner and properly screened. We cannot allow the Castro regime to send criminals. anarchists. and other dangerous individuals into the United States at will to prey upon U.S. citizens. We cannot let Fidel Castro set American immigration policy. But that is essentially what the President has allowed him to do. It is evident that some of the refugees at Fort Chaffee. Ark.. have engaged in lawless rioting involving bodily injury to U.S. citizens and damage to U.S. property. The lives of Americans in the vicinity of the uproar have been upset. Violations of State and Federal law cannot be tolerated. Those refugees who have broken the law should be expelled from the United States as soon as possible in a manner consistent with State and Federal law. The American people are compassionate and generous but we are not fools. We cannot and we will not permit criminals to come into this country to trample on the peaceful enjoyment of our rights. We cannot and we will not let ourselves be used and manipulated by a twobit dictator like Fidel Castro. The United States cannot be expected to shoulder the refugee burden of the entire world. Our laws should reflect this realistic view. I am confident that America will do her share to alleviate the suffering of refugees throughout the world but so should other civilized. democratic countries do their shares. Let us encourage them to do their duty in every reasonable way. And let us also take a tougher stand against those governments that pursue such blatantly cruel and repressive policies that people within their grasp are forced to leave at great peril.