Speech #1000102078

Mr. President. in fulfillment of the statutory requirements of The Refugee Act. members of the Judiciary Committee have consulted with Secretary of State George Shultz and other representatives of the President on the admission of refugees to the United States for the coming year. Following midyear hearings that our Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs held last June 30. we have carefully followed recent developments in our worldwide refugee program. We sent a special staff mission to Southeast Asia last month to review the continuing problems of Indochinese refugees and the need to strengthen programs to protect and assist them. The admission of Indochinese refugees remains the single largest component of our annual admission of refugees40.200 this year and 38.000 proposed for next yearout of a total of 68.500 worldwide for the coming year. These levels of resettlement suggest both the continuing needs of the refugees. but also the need for the international community to find other solutions to the continued movement of refugees and migrants in Southeast Asia. During our consultations this year we raised a number of these issues and will pursue them further during public hearings that we have had to schedule later next month because of the Judiciary Committees consideration of the nomination of Judge Robert Bork. But I did want to share with my colleagues. Mr. President. the Judiciary Committees letter concluding this years refugee consultations. as well as the Presidents proposal for admitting additional refugees during the coming fiscal yeara proposal which we have supported with some modifications. I ask that the text of the letter that the Judiciary Committee has sent to the President. as well as his refugee program request. be printed in the RECORD.