Speech #1000016629

Mr. President. these articles tell of a different kind of Southeast Asian "domino effect"-one where country after country tightens their asylum policies. This hardening of attitudes of Thailand. Hong Kong. Malaysia. and others is no surprise to me: These countries are throwing in the towel because the United States appears to be throwing in the towel. A Thai official this weekend eloquently stated the linkage between United States processing for resettlement. and the level and quality of protection which the Thai are willing to provide the refugees. The Thai point to the dismal INS performance and the State Departments juggling of carryover numbers and justifiably conclude the United States resolve is wandering and wobbly. Put yourselves in the shoes of the Thai. President Reagan pledges U.S. support for a continued refugee resettlement and protection program. Secretary Shultz travels to the region and reiterates that support. But then the INS drops the ball when it comes time to implement this commitment. What you end up with Is confusion among the first asylum countries. confusion which has led to the ominous situation the refugees now face. This INS problem is not a new problem. Whether you are talking about the Kamput problem of 1982 and 1983. or this years 60percent rejection rate of the lowland Lao. you are talking about a persistent INS processing problem which is directly causing a major diplomatic problem for the United States and Its ASEAN friends. In fairness to INS. let us face the facts: Immigration officers are not refugee officers. INS guidelines must apply worldwide. And to them. an Afghan refugee is the same as a Vietnamese refugee. Unfortunately. we in Congress know that this is not so. because the United States did not fight a war in Afghanistan and propel the region into political and economic upheaval. and that the United States does not grant a clear preference to Afghan refugees as we do Southeast Asian refugees. So. I believe that Congress can best implement its clearly enunciated foreign policy objectives by removing the INS from the process. and by telling the rest of the world that if they want to run and hide from the ongoing refugee crisis in Southeast Asia. they will not be able to hide behind the United States. I urge all of my colleagues to examine this bill and its many sections. I am confident that Senator KzNNy. a long time supporter of the refugee program for Southeast Asia. will have his committee give this bill careful consideration quickly. since time is of the essence. If the United States Government continues to send mixed signals and continues to fail to monitor the rampant protection problems in the border camps. and continues to propose small remedies when great ones are needed. then we can be assured that the Cambodian. Vietnamese. and Laotian refugees soon will be placed like sitting ducks along the borders. with no meaningful United States role in ensuring their safety. I do not believe that the U.S. responsibility for the problems of the refugees in that region is as great as it was a decade ago. but I say emphatically today that our responsibility to them is not over yet. and that we cannot allow our refugee policy to be ushered to a premature end. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be reprinted in the REcoRD.