Speech #960262448

Mr. Speaker. I can appreciate the dilemma of the Carter administration and the Coordinator for Refugee Affairs in trying to deal with the problem of Cuban and Haitian nationals who have entered this country in the last 8 weeks. I can only observe. however. that the dilemma is of the Presidents own creation and evidences a disregard of the Refugee and Immigration Act of 1980. I note in the statement issued by the Presidents Coordinator for Refugee Affairs that the Cuban nationals who have arrived on our shores in recent weeks are described as Cuban "entrants." This. of course. is a new description not found in the existing law and is. in effect. in response to my earlier charges that these Cuban nationals do not fit any existing category of immigrant or refugee. Mr. Speaker. what seems unbelievable in the statement is the claim that: Throughout this emergency. our objectives have been to uphold our international obligation and protect the integrity of our immigration and refugee laws. In almost the next breath. the hope is expressed that: Our enforcement measures will discourage others from undertaking the long and dangerous journey by boat in violation of oar laws. This. it seems to me. is an acknowledgement that the boat flotilla has indeed been in violation of our laws. and it has been retarded by the recent enforcement measures which have been taken. The earlier outcry against treating the Haitian arrivals differently from those persons arriving illegally from Cuba appears now to have resulted in a desire to join Cuban and Haitian entrants as a part of the same special category. It is possible that sympathy for the Haitian entrants may have induced the administration to include them as a means for gaining public support for the resettlement programs developed for accommodating the massive inflow of Cubans. almost all of whom were selected by Castro for entry into our country and not by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. as required by our laws. The demand that the Congress should enact legislation to make legal that which the administration has done without legal authority is some kind of commentary on the mismanagement of this whole confused and outrageously expensive affair. Mr. Speaker. it appears from the administrations proposal that Cuban and Haitian entrants may qualify for substantial Federal benefits beyond those which many U.S. citizens and lawful entrants into our country could receive. It is encouraging. however. to note that "criminals" will be subject to detention and exclusion or deportation from the United States. Finally. notwithstanding the failure to enforce the law up to and including June 19. the administration asserts that "enforcement will be maintained to prevent future illegal arrivals * * *." This is a clear acknowledgement that the arrivals prior to June 19. were illegal. Still. the administration appears anxious to keep virtually all who arrived illegally prior to June 19. and that only those who arrived after June 19 "will not be eligible for the program and will be subject to exclusion or deportation in accordance with U.S. immigration laws." Mr. Speaker. in my view. that is not enough. If future illegal entrants can be excluded or deported. why could not others who arrived prior to the cutoff date of June 19. be excluded or deported? How about having those who do not qualify as refugees or immigrants repatriated? Repatriation is a valid and important element of all immigration and refugee policynot mentioned in any of the administrations recent statements about Cuban and Haitian "entrants"..