Speech #970081694

Mr. President. all of us are vitally concerned with the massive influx of illegal immigrants into this country. a situation which has strained our social service network to the limit and made a mockery of our immigration laws. It is a crisis which demands a prompt and firm response. Part of that response must be the development of a workable immigration policy which will limit and control the flow of refugees into the United States. Another aspect of that response must be an immediate effort to use all of our potential resources to stem the flow of illegal immigration. The amendment I am proposing today seeks to insure that we will use one of these resources. namely foreign assistance. to deal with the continued stream of refugees from Haiti. The Haitian problem was aptly described in the opening paragraph of a recent Tampa Tribune editorial: Two boats carrying 175 Haitians glided ashore at the usual spot on Miamis beaches yesterday. following a ferry route Floridians can almost set their watches by. Each week that goes by brings more Haitian refugees to Floridas shores. aggravating an already overwhelming problem. The burden of these refugees has fallen directly on the State of Florida and the people of south Florida. The ability of local government to cope is past the breaking point. An inhumane and dangerous situation exists at the Krome North facility in Dade County where over 1.000 Haitian refugees are housed under appalling conditions. For most Americans. Mr. President. immigration is an abstract problem that does not affect their daily lives. The people of south Florida have to live with this problem every day. They are worried and frustrated and they should be. The handling of the Haitian refugee problem by the Federal Government. or perhaps I should say "mishandling." is a monument to Government at its worst. Our task now must be to redress that situation as soon as we can. South Florida cannot wait while the wheels of Congress and the administration turn slowly to develop a new immigration statute. They need action now to stop the flow of illegal aliens. One step we can take is to seek and in fact insist upon the cooperation of Haiti in restraining illegal immigration. That Is the purpose of th.c amendment. This amendment addresses the two factors that are causing the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States. the difficult economic conditions in Haiti and the question of human rights. It provides that funds made available to Haiti will be used to address the conditions of poverty and underdevelopment that contribute to immigration from Haiti and to assist with programs to deal with the problem of illegal immigration. It provides that to the maximum extent possible assistance to Haiti should be provided through private and voluntary organizations. It further stipulates that military or development assistance funds will be approved for use in Haiti only if the President makes a determination that the Government of HaitiFirst. is cooperating with the United States in halting illegal immigration from Haiti. Second is not aiding. abetting. or otherwise supporting illegal immigration from Haiti. Third. has provided assurances that it will cooperate fully in implementing U.S. development assistance programs in Haiti. and Fourth. is not engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. The Government of Haiti cannot be allowed to either encourage illegal immigration as a means of solving its internal problems or to fail to cooperate with the United States in resolving this dilemma. The administration has indicated it recognizes that the causes of illegal immigration are international in scope and will require an international solution. Negotiations are being pursued with Haiti. Making the provision of both military and development assistance conditional on fullfledged cooperation by the Government of Haiti will provide the leverage to insure that such cooperation is forthcoming. Mr. President. this amendment represents a sensible and prudent action we can take right now to alleviate the critical problem of Haitian immigration. Whatever the ultimate U.S. policy for stemming the flow of refugees. it cannot succeed if the Government of Haiti does not enforce its own immigration laws. I believe approval of this amendment by the Congress will help to staunch the flow of illegal immigrants and I urge it.. adoption.