Speech #990002343

Well. what happens Is. that in the process of interviewing them when they first come off the plane. ICM gives them a couple of forms. envelopes and stamps and asks them to periodically send those back in and report to them on what they discover when they get back home. what it is like. and what kind of conditions they meet and so on. As a matter of course. although the program had only been operating about 6 weeks when I began to look into it a couple of weeks ago. the fact is that a great number of these folks who have been deported have indeed responded and we have a substantial data base to go from. In only one instance out of the quite sizable number of responses has there been even the remotest question of any concern over political or violent activity or fear for life or safety or whatever. and that one instance is currently under investigation. both by ICM and by our Embassy personnel at this time. We are talking about a very small percentage of those returned. if you only have one instance out of several hundred. as I say. who have been deported in the period of time that ICM has been monitoring it. I would be very interested. as I am sure my colleagues would be. in seeing what the fruits of this program are as far as this return goes over the coming months as more are deported. more records are kept. and we have a greater statistical data base to go from. My impressions tell me that we are going to discover. as I have in the initial impact of this investigation. that those who are here in the United States are Salvadorans who are being deported. and those who are vAuntarily returning are not at all under the pressure. under the gun of any nature. either literally or figuratively. from a political or from a human rights standpoint. or from a violent standpoint. Their problems invariably are being found to be. as most have been in the past. economic. concerns of what has happened to their families as far as economic plights and so forth go. It will be an interesting thing to follow and at the present moment. it certainly inclines me to be opposed. as a member of the Immigration Committee. to any kind of further special consideration on the return of Salvadorans as opposed to the return of any others who might be apprehended for deportation. There are still about 500.000 displacados. displaced persons. in El Salvador who are off the farms who have not returned to work because of their concerns and because of the fact that they become pretty well entrenched in some of the camps and in some of the cities and the very poor areas in that country. It disturbs all of us that we have that condition because the United Nations does not oversee those camps. It does not oversee anything internally since these folks are not technically refugees. If you will recall. a number of my colleagues joined me. and we were able through the efforts of Project Hope and the Knights of Malta back a year and a half ago through last year to deliver over 200.000 pounds of medicines and medical supplies for the relief of these folks in these displaced persons camps. I am pleased to report that in the last few months. operationally for about 2 or 3 months.