Speech #960247058

Mr. Chairman. members of the committee. I am pleased to have this opportunity to consult with you. in accordance with the Refugee Act of 1980. on our plans for refugee admissions and resettlement assistance for fiscal year 1980. The administration has long shared the views of this committee on the need for a more comprehensive and equitable basis for our refugee programs. We greatly appreciate your efforts to see this legislation enacted. And we look forward to working closely with you to implement the Act. The rapid evolution of the Cuban refugee problem In the last 2 weeksand the policy issues it raisesare evidence of the long and difficult task we face together in determining the U.S. response to volatile and broadreaching refugee problems around the world. This afternoon I would like to focus on our basic approach to the growing refugee problem and then to address the major considerations which underlie our proposed fiscal year 1980 refugee admissions. Nathan Stark. Under Secretary of Health. Education. and Welfare. will discuss refugee resettlement programs. And David Crosland. the Acting Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. and Doris Melssner. Deputy Associate Attorney General. are also here to answer your questions about admissions policies and procedures. Let me begin with a few words about our overall approach to refugee problems. Through active diplomacy. economic and security assistance programs. and through practical support for human rights. we will persist in our efforts to resolve the conflicts and ameliorate the underlying conditions that give rise to large numbers of refugees. It is both in our national character and In our national interest to respond compassionately and sensibly to a mounting refugee problem. Events around the world in the past few months vividly illustrate the magnitude and the complexity of the refugee problem confronting the international community. From Kampuchea. Afghanistan. Ethiopia. and many other countries. refugees totaling in the millions have fled their homes in the face of external aggression. political and religious persecution. and civil strife. They constitute a vast sea of uprooted. homeless. aggrieved people. We cannot be blind to their suffering. or to the consequences for stability and peace if we leave them to languish without hope. In nearly every instance. an enormous burden has fallen on countries of first asyluma burden most have borne with extraordinary compassion and generosity. But it would be unrealistic and unwise to expect that these nations can bear this burden alone. International efforts are essential. both to alleviate human suffering on a massive scale and to lessen the unsettling political. economic. and social tensions that large refugee populations can create for firstasylum countries. Our Initial objective in responding to specific refugee situations has been to join in international efforts to provide relief to the refugee in placethat is. in the countries of first asylumand to promote voluntary repatriation of refugees where possible. Many nations have contributed generouslythrough the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. and in other ways. The United States has been In the forefront among contributors to these international relief efforts. Often U.S. leadership has been instrumental in generating the broad international response these situations require. In some cases. however. resettlement of refugees is a practical necessity. Last spring. for example. thousands of Indochinese fled their homes by sea and by land. only to be turned back by neighboring countries overwhelmed by large refugee populations. President Carters pledge to double our rate of resettlement of Indochinese refugees to 14.000 a month was a critical factor in generating new resettlement pledges by over 20 countries at the Geneva conference last July. Support from the international community encouraged Southeast Asian countries to begin once again to grant asylum to all new arrivals. Against this general background. let me outline for the committee how we propose that the United States participateconsistent with the Refugee Act of 1980in international resettlement efforts during the remainder of this fiscal year. By eliminating the previous geographic and ideological restrictions on the granting of refugee status. the act enables a more flexible system for refugee admissions and assistance. We intend to avail ourselves of this flexibility to establish admissions criteria that are as comprehensive and equitable as possible. In doing so we will pay close attention to the resettlement needs of refugees in regions not explicitly encompassed by the prior legislation. Let me be frank in pointing out. however. that it will take time to translate the goal of greater equity into a workable system. Many of the factors which contributed to our previous refugee admissions practices will of necessity continue to play an important role for some time. Indeed. these factors should be taken into account as we strive to define the elements of a more equitable system. Among the considerations which have helped shape our admissions proposals for fiscal year 1980 are the following: We must continue to be sensitive to the needs of refugees with close ties to the United States. We will remain dedicated to reuniting families and to aiding those who have had past employment ties to the United States. Where the United States has stood uniquely as a symbol of freedom from oppression for a particular group. we must respond to their understandable aspirations for safe haven in our country. We must consider how our participation in refugee resettlement efforts can further our broader foreign policy objectives--for instance. by promoting the stability of friendly. democratic governments in countries of first asylum. And we will continue to be guided by our assessment of the opportunities for resettlement In other countries. and the practical limits of U.S. resources. also. In fiscal year 1980 we propose to admit into the United States 231.700 refugees. This figure includes over 114.000 refugees admitted before April 1 under previous statutory limits and parole programs authorized by the Attorney General and appoved by the Congress. For the second half of the fiscal year. we propose to admit approximately 117.000 refugees. Let me briefly review the major groups ofrefugees we propose to admit and the considerations underlying these proposals. In Southeast Asia we face a human tragedy of staggering dimensions. The enormous Indochinese refugee burden is also a continuing challenge to the stability of neighboring nations. Therefore. we propose to continue to resettle 14.000 Indochinese refugees per month in the United Statesa total of 168.000 this fiscal year. This level would continue the admission rate pledged last year by President Carter and previously authorized for fiscal year 1980 under the Attorney Generals parole authority. with congressional concurrence. In addition to the major humanitarian dimension of this commitment it is an important. tangible demonstration of U.S. support for the ASEAN nations.