Speech #980219382

They came by the thousands during that period. not only from Cuba but also from Haiti. You will recall that they were welcomed with "open hearts and open arms." In all. about 150.000 Cuban and Haitian entrants arrived and were paroled into the United States. Some of these have been able to adjust their status to permanent resident alien under existing provisions of our immigration law. but most have not been so fortunate. Instead. they have been waiting for congressional action to resolve their uncertain status. During hearings held by the Immigration Subcommittee last month. all witnesses. including the administration. supported my legislation. In addition. every major civil rights trade union. religious and voluntary service organization wholeheartedly endorses my amendment. Let me point out that these individuals are not now. and have never been. considered to be undocumented aliens. Yet. they remain in a legal limbo. For their sake. and for our Nations sake. we must settle this matter and we must settle it now. That is what my amendment would do. It would give approximately 120.000 Cuban and Haitian entrants the opportunity to become permanent residents and eventually U.S. citizens. In addition. my amendment would specifically include the approximately 15.000 Haitians who were. in many cases. subjected to intolerably long periods of detention by the Immigration Service as they awaited determinations of their status. There can be little doubt that this group of Haitians has suffered more than any group in recent history in their attempts to come to and remain in the United States. In fact. on three separate occasions. Federal courts have held that the treatment of these individuals by the Immigration Service has been unlawful. Mr. Chairman. my amendment is not without precedent. In 1958. for example. Congress passed special legislation to allow the adjustment of Hungarian refugees who had been paroled into the United States. Similarly. in 1960. 1966. and again in 1975 special legislation was passed to allow the adjustment of Eastern European refugees. Cuban parolees. and Indochinese parolees. respectively. It is clear then. when compelling humanitarian need has been demonstrated.