Speech #1000098521

The only decision that they could make under the circumstances was to come to the United States where they would be protected in their beliefs and their freedoms. While in the United States. they have enjoyed a measure of relief from what they would have encountered had they remained in Poland. Under a special status assigned to them by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. known as Extended Voluntary Departure [EVD]. they are allowed to stay in this country as long as the situation in Poland warrants that. At best. Extended Voluntary Departure is a tenuous situation for these Polish exiles. Every 6 months. the INS must go back to the criteria for assigning EVD and determine whether or not the situation in Poland has changed. The basis for that appraisal comes from the State Department. The State Department had consistently recommended that conditions inside Poland did not warrant the return or deportation to Poland. That is until last June. Last June. the State Department advised the INS that the conditions inside Poland had improved enough for the refugees to go back. However. that assessment from the State Department is not an accurate reflection of the internal situation in Poland. Solidarity is still outlawed. and the freedom to speak and to practice ones faith are still severely circumscribed by government proclamation. For these refugees. returning to Poland in 1987 is the same as it would have been in December 1986. June 1986. or January 1981. for that matter. The political situation in Poland has rendered living there very difficult for these people. In fact. if they were to return to their native Poland. they would be subjected to intimidation and discrimination at the hands of the Polish Government. Housing would be contingent on the Polish Governments willingness to forgive these refugees. Employment would be contingent on the Polish Governments willingness to forgive. And what crime would these individuals be charged with? Since what they have done is essentially to seek asylum in the United States. that is an offense against the Polish state. and there are penalties for what the Polish state considers as treason. The harassment that these individuals would face upon their return to Poland would be not only discrimination but also potentially. imprisonment. The penalty for treason is a stiff jail term. For now. these Poles have a measure of relief from the threat of deportation. Despite the State Departments recommendation that they be returned to Poland. the INS and Attorney General Edwin Meese have extended their stay until the end of this year. But at the end of this year. the threat of deportation or the lastminute save from the INS will have to be replayed all over again. My colleague from Illinois. WILLIAM LIPINSKI. has introduced legislation that would remedy the residency status of the Polish refugees. H.R. 2692 would grant permanent resident status to Polish refugees arriving in the United States before July 21. 1984. It would do what the INS in its periodic. 6month recommendation cannot do. that is give the Polish refugees peace of mind and a chance to get on with their lives without the fear at the end of each 6 months they might find themselves on a return trip to Poland. Merely extending their lease on residence every 6 months is not a solution. That is a BandAid approach. and every 6 months a new bandage has to be applied. Because of the threat of deportation. these individuals are finding it difficult to make any longterm commitments in the United States. Whereas they would like to contribute to our society. and indeed they already have. banks do not lend money. and employers do not hire for long lengths of time. In the 99th Congress. the Immigration Reform and Control Act was enacted. paving the way for the millions of undocumented illegal aliens already in this country to receive amnesty and to join our society. But in order to receive amnesty. aliens had to prove residence in the United States before November 21. 1982. For the vast majority of Poles who fled to the United States after martial law was imposed in their country. that cutoff date was too early. Some have argued that granting permanent residence status to the Polish refugees would set a precedent for all the other refugee groups seeking permanent asylum in the United States. On the contrary. there are only three refugee groups. including the Polish exiles. who are granted Extended Voluntary Departure status by the INS. The Poles who have come to the United States want an opportunity to be contributors to our society. H.R. 2692 would give them that opportunity.