Speech #980098595

Mr. President. I am pleased to join today with Senator SIMPSON in offering an amendment to increase by $10 million the funding earmarked for the migration and refugee assistance account in order to respond to urgent relief needs among displaced persons in El Salvador. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy. Senator SIMPsON and I. as ranking member. asked the subcommittees chief counsel and minority counsel to undertake a study mission to Central America to review the many refugee and related humanitarian problems in the region. They returned last week. and in a joint report they filed with the subcommittee they have described some alarming conditions and reported on urgent needs for additional humanitarian assistance. particularly among displaced persons in El Salvador. Their report. which will be available at the subcommittees hearing scheduled for Monday on worldwide refugee problems. clearly documents what many of us have fearedthat we are facing a regional crisis of people in Central America. with nearly 1 million refugees and displaced persons fleeing the violence and conflict spreading through the region. In El Salvador alone close to half a million people are displaced. many living in camps under deplorable conditions. Over 10 percent of El Salvadors population are refugees or displaced persons and there are growing relief needs. Mr. President. let me read from a portion of the subcommittees staff report: For nearly a year. the escalating number of displaced persons in El Salvador was not addressed by the United States and the Government of El Salvador. The first effort to assess their numbers and needs was not launched until January 1982. when there were already between 165.000 to 200.000 displaced persons throughout the country. Most of them had moved in with friends or family members or were living in shantytowns around urban centers. About 5 percent of the displaced persons were considered at the time to be living in "extremely deplorable conditions." Over the following year. but particularly since the beginning of 1983. the number of displaced persons in such conditions has mounted rapidly as the problem in many locations escalated into largescale refugee camp situations. The response of the Government has lagged behind refugee needs even after a formal Government program of assistance was established. During the past year. the United States provided a small employment generating. foodforwork type of project. and an immunization program. However. by mid1983 it became apparent that such efforts were inadequate to meet growing relief needsinadequate to deal with camplike conditions (which are still deplorable in some areas)-or to respond to shortages of food an medicines.