Speech #1010027943

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: In accordance with Section 207(e) of P.L. 96212. The Refugee Act of 1980. we have consulted with Attorney General Thornburgh on your request to admit this fiscal year an additional 22.500 refugeesas outlined in the April 5th memorandum to the Committee from the U.S. Coordinator for Refugee Affairs. Jonathan Moore. We hereby concur in your pro.. posal. with the following recommendations and observations. First. we support the increase and general allocation of the additional refugee admissions. particularly to deal with the unanticipated flow of refugees from the Soviet Union. However. in providing these additional numbers for Soviet refugees. we would expect that any numbers previously reprogrammed from the Southeast Asian Orderly Departure Program (ODP) would now be restored to the originally approved ceiling. If additional numbers for that category are necessary for ODP applicants who qualify under our refugee laws. Second. we are concerned that these additional numbers are being proposed without the funds necessary to provide for the domestic costs Involved In their resettlement. As the legislative history of The Refugee Act makes abundantly clear. the decision to admit refugees is a Federal one. and the Federal government must bear the primary responsibility to fund the initial resettlement costs. In this case. the Department of Health and Human Services has indicated that admission of an additional 22.500 refugees this fiscal year will result in a need for an additional $21.9 million this year and another $16.4 million in fiscal year 1990. We strongly share the view that the current plan for obtaining these funds by reprogramming money from the cash and medical assistance account. and transferring it to the matching grant program. places an unreasonable burden upon the States and local communities. It in effect evades the Federal governments responsibility to fully fund existing resettlement programs while admitting even more refugees. We urge you to either support additional domestic funding. or to adjust refugee admissions levels in accordance with the amount of funding available. Third. the Committee remains deeply troubled over the problems that have suddenly developed this year in the processing of Soviet refugee applicants. particularly in Rome. As reviewed during the meeting with Attorney General Thornburgh. unnecessary problems in the processing and the acceptance of persons qualifying as refugees from the Soviet Union have caused needless delays. confusion and escalating costs in care and maintenance. We would urge you to use the discretionary authorities you and the Attorney General have under existing law to improve the refugee processing system and resolve the delays. backlogs and inconsistent treatment of applicants that allegedly plague our program in Rome. Unfortunately. In attempting to conform our processing of Soviet refugees to the same guidelines applied elsewhere. the Department of Justice and the Immigration and Naturalization Service moved forward before they were capable of doing so. and apparently before adequate plans. staff or procedures were established in Moscow or Rome. The result has been a near breakdown in what was once a generous and flexible admissions procedure for refugee applicants who have had a long history of being admitted to the United States. While we support the use of the Attorney Generals parole authority for applicants that do not meet the refugee definition. we also encourage the Administration to reexamine its system of determining refugee eligibility. to ensure that those who do qualify as refugees are properly granted that status. If the Administration cannot adequately implement a casebycase program. or deal with the backlog of applicants in Rome. efforts will surely be made in Congress to temporarily resolve these problems through legIslation. To avoid such a legislative response. we urge you to resolve the processing problems that have developed in Rome over this past year. Finally. while we support this emergency request for additional refugee admissions. we remain concerned during this time of budget constraints over the continuing trend to squeeze overseas refugee assistance programswhich help millions of refugees around the worldin order to sustain refugee resettlement in the United States for a few thousand. As the Committee noted in its September 23. 1988 letter approving this years refugee program. we must be certain our resettlement program does not prevent our overseas assistance program from responding adequately to the lifethreatening needs of refugees abroad. With these observations and recommendations. the Committee concurs in the emergency refugee request you have proposed. Many thanks for your consideration and best wishes. Sincerely.