Mr. Speaker. the number of Cuban refugees arriving in south Florida has now exceeded 100.000. Although efforts are being made to settle some of these persons in other parts of the United States or in other countries. most will undoubtedly come to live in the Miami area. The burden which this imposes on the local and State governments is tremendous. The Dade County school system is particularly hard hit. The cost of educating each additional refugee child is $1.000 above normal costs. The administration and the Congress have a responsibility to provide assistance to State and local governments which. through no fault of their own. find themselves struggling to serve thousands of additional residents. A recent editorial from the Miami Herald rightly places the responsibility squarely with the Federal Government. I would remind my colleagues as they read these remarks that they too may have to face this problem as some refugees begin to find permanent homes outside of south Florida. I urge them to keep open minds as proposals for assistance are made and to recognize that we in Congress must not shirk our duty to the areas affected by large numbers of refugees. The editorial follows: [From the Miami Herald. May 15. 1980]
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