He makes the point. number one. that this program is no longer needed. My colleagues who have spoken before me have very effectively established that there definitely is and will remain for some time a need for this program. So I will not take any time on this point except to say that the Appropriations subcommittee I serve on. which oversees the funding for Federal refugee prograrws. has received testimony from Florida State officials who estimate that the unemployment rate for refugees living in Dade County is as high as 40 percent. Linda Berkowitz. the former administrator of Florida refugee programs who now oversees State health and social services programs in the heavily impacted areas of Dade and Monroe Counties. told the subcommittee last month that thousands of refugees have found jobs. but that thousands more are still unemployed or marginally employed because of job skills and language barriers to employment. These people need employment training and education as provided by the Targeted Assistance Program if they are ever going to have the opportunity to become selfsufficient members of our communities. The employmnt situation for refugees in Florida may become even worse in the near iature because the whiter damage to Floridas fruit and other agricultural crops may reduce the number of available Jobs for refugees who have found work in the fields. The gentleman makes the other point that many of our welfare laws in many parts of our country are mag. nets that attract refugees. And I might not even disagree too much with him on that and suggest that a review of our welfare laws would not be out of order. But in the case of the refugees that this Member has firsthand knowledge about. let me speak Just a moment to the point that it was not the welfare laws of oouth Florida that attracted 130.000 Cubans in the Mariel boat lift. Mr. Chairman.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees