Mr. President. I am pleased to join with Senator HUDDLESTON in sponsoring this legislation to give State and local governments a stronger voice in decisions concerning U.S. refugee policy. I believe this proposal will be a constructive step in helping resolve one aspect of our serious refugee problem. This Nation is currently experiencing a refugee crisis. My State of Florida Is on the cutting edge of that crisis. The State and particularly the communities of south Florida have borne the brunt of unworkable immigration statutes and an unenforced refugee policy. Thousands of refugees have streamed into south Florida. placing intolerable burdens on citizens. local government. and service and health agencies. To a large extent. local and State government have been forced to carry the burden for education. for health care. and for welfare assistance. The responsibility for these costs are clearly Federal but the Federal Government often has failed to live up to that responsibility. There have been continuing efforts to reduce or limit Federal reimbursement and it has only been through the insistence of Congress that such efforts have not been successful. Mr. President. there are several essential elements to what should be the foundation of our new immigration policy. Previously. Senator HUDDLESTON and I have introduced legislation to set that foundation in place. First. we must enforce our immigration laws and make sure that our enforcement officials have the resources to carry out their responsibilities. Second. there should be a cap on the total number of people we allow to immigrate to the United States. And that cap should not be exceeded. Third. we should be able to decide. in advance. who should be admitted to the United States.
Keywords matched
immigrate immigration refugee refugees