Speech #990150008

DC. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: The Committee on the Judiciary has now concluded its consultations with your representatives on the proposed refugee admissions for fiscal year 1985. We submit to you our response as the chairmen of the full Committee and of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy. respectively. on the proposed numbers of refugee admissions. together with our recommendations reparding the U.S. refugee program. First. we do share your deep concern about the plight of refugees around the world. particularly those who are of "special humanitarian concern" to the United States. We also share your commitment to support the humanitarian traditions and programs of our nation to assist refugees and to provide resettlement opportunities to those in particular need. However. we note that. for the first time since the Refugee Act of 1980 became law. the proposed admissions level has not been reduced. It would appear that the sustained high flow of refugees from Southeast Asia is becoming "institutionalized." Since 1981 the State Department has assured the Congress. during the annual consultations. that the Southeast Asian refugee "emergency" was nearly over and with but another year or two of high admissions numbers. the problem could be described as "managed." Nonetheless. refugee admissions from Southeast Asia have continued at a high rate. and the proposed levels for fiscal year 1985 now continue that trend. Because the "emergency" is over. we believe it is important to continue a steady and meaningful reduction in Southeast Asian admissions. We do not consider a three percent reduction as being "meaningful." Personal field investigations of refugee processing areas in Southeast Asia by the Subcommittee chairman. as well as other information available to the Committee. including evidence presented to the Committee by both refugee officials and members of the private sector involved in our refugee program. lead us to believe that the numbers proposed by the Administration can. and should be. appropriately reduced. Accordingly. we recommend that the refugee admissions ceiling for 1986 be set at 60.000. a reduction of 10.000 from that proposed by the Administration. We believe this reduction should be made in the proposed admissions from East Asia for the following reasons: (1) There are few people remaining in Thailand who qualify as refugees of "special interest" to tile United States. While there are several thousand Lao in Thailand. both Highlanders and Lowlanders. who do have a claim to refugee status in the United States as a result of their previous association with us. this group probably does not exceed 5.000 persons. We have nearly completed the processing of Khmer refugees and few. if any. numbers are required to conclude that large resettlement program. We must now resist tile clear temptation to continue to consider third country resettlement as being the "only alternative" available for persons leaving their homelands in Southeast Asia. Refugees in the United States with family members in Southeast Asia must now begin to use our regular immigration laws in order to achieve family reunification. (2) The Vietnamese Orderly Departure Program (ODP) does not warrant the admission levels proposed by the Administration. We recommend a most careful review and restructure of that program and a redefining of its purpose. and its accomplishments. In 1984. the Committee responded to the Administrations ODP proposals with the caveat: "We assume that these new Orderly Departure initiatives will contain controls sufficient to insure that the program will meet our American objectives rather than primarily those of the sending state." We believe the present program does not contain such controls. Further. when Congress passed legislationwhich we both worked hard to achievein 1982 providing special immigration procedures for Ameraslan children. it did in no way contemplate that this legislation would result in admission of two family memberseach taking a refugee numberfor each Amerasian child. We do have a very "special interest" in certain Amerasians who need the care. support and new life they can receive only in Americabut it is surely not at all as clear that we have a special interest in bringing all Amerasians and their families to the United States as refugees under ODP. They were given a different status under the legislation. Until procedures can be negotiated with the Vietnamese authorities assuring that a majority of the people coming to the United States under the ODP are of special interest to us. such as prisoners In the "reeducation camps." as opposed to those who the Vietnamese Government has only a "special Interest" In expelling from their country. then our participation in the program should be reduced. While recommending a level of refugee admissions which we believe more accurately reflects the existing international refugee situation. particularly that in East Asia. we state clearly that we stand ready to alertly respondspeedily. fully and effectivelyin providing additional resettlement opportunities under the emergency provisions of the Refugee Act in the event of any unforeseen needs or developments. Without a very reasonable level of refugee admissions in times of no emergency. the American public may well be unwilling to respond generously when a time of emergency arises We certainly wish to avoid this possibility. Finally. we recommend a reduction in the admissions ceiling of only 10.000 acknowledging that there are a significant number of refugees in the East Asian "pipeline" at the end of the fiscal year. some 17.000 persons: however. we fully expect that a more significant reduction may be achieved in the next fiscal year when the "pipeline" numbers should be much reduced. The expressed intent of the Refugee Act is that overall refugee admissions will be maintained as closely as possible to the "normal flow" figure of 50.000. That is tile number set by P.L. 96212. We must also be certain to take into account the number of persons now being granted asylum in tile United Statesmore than 10.000 in the last fiscal year. Thesie. too. are refugees. and must be fully considered as we consult on refugee admissions. Mr. President. we express our continued support of your efforts to join with others in the international community in response to the humanitarian needs of refugeesboth political and those resulting from natural disasters. With best personal regards. Most sincerely.