Speech #960289902

Mr. President. I am introducing today. by request. the administrations legislative proposal to create a Cuban/Haitian entrant status under the Immigration and Nationality Act. I am also submitting. Mr. President. an amendment in the nature of a substitute. My amendment will simply declare the Cubans and Haitians covered in the administrations bill to be deemed "refugees" under the terms of Public Law 96212. the Refugee Act of 1980. and make them eligible for all the benefits and assistance that act provides. Mr. President. I oppose the administrations approach simply because it is unnecessary. The administration could and should have used the Refugee Act to deal with this problem. We can debate whether the Cubans and Haitians are refugees. I believe the record shows that most are. Clearly. some are not. Those who are criminals have been detained and should be deported. Others are seeking and should be assisted in finding third country resettlement. But the remainder have been admitted to the United States under the Attorney Generals parole authority. and they are here. That is the plain fact. And they should be given the same Federal assistance all refugees receive. Under the administrations proposal. Cuban/Haitian entrants look like refugees. are treated as refugees. but considered only being 75 percent refugees for the purposes of Federal assistance. This has quite properly been protested by the States. local communities. and voluntary agencies who are being asked to fund a Federal program. The Cubans and Haitians are here. they are going to stay. and they should not be dumped upon the communities across our Nation. Mr. President. the Congress enacted the Refugee Act just 41/2 months ago to avoid treating each new refugee situation on an ad hoc basis. requiring new authorities to deal with it. If the President refuses to utilize the authorities and tools which Congress has given him to deal with the admission and resettlement of Cuban and Haitian refugees. then Congress has no other alternative than to legislatively declare the Cubans and Haitians as "refugees" under the terms of the Refugee Act. This is what my substitute amendment accomplishes. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the administrations proposal and bill. as well as my amendment. be printed at this point in the RECORD.