I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. the chairman knows of my interest and the interest of many Members in the Congress to upgrade our refugee and. indeed. our immigrant programs to provide to newly arrived people to our shores an understanding of our Government. our economic system. our monetary system. our language. our history. and to provide greater opportunities for employment. In the last Congress. there was included in what became Public Law 97363 an amendment that I offered and that the gentleman from Kentucky accepted. providing for a study of refugee centers that would provide these kinds of services. That study. of course. was received in due time in September of this year and states. in part: - * * that the Office of Refugee Resettlement considers that it may be advisable to make reception center approaches a more clearly defined and adequately supported element in the broader repertoire of refugee resettlement efforts in the United States. ORR is therefore considering plans to provide support for limited demonstrated efforts involving vaious reception center models. Now. section 412(b)(7) of the bill under consideration provides: The Secretary shall develop and implement alternative projects for refugees. who have been in the United States less than 18 months. under which refugees are provided interim support. support services. and case management. as needed. in a manner that encourages selfsufficiency. reduces welfare dependency. and fosters greater coordination among the resettlement agencies and service providers. I wonder if it is the gentlemans understanding that this section makes it possible to implement the type of refugee processing centers on a demonstration basis that are described in the ORR study and that I am particularly interested in.
Keywords matched
immigrant Refugee refugee refugees