Today in the U.S.S.R.. laws exist which prohibit public religious celebrations and formal religious education of children. While Jews and evangelical Christians may no longer face the purges and massacres that their forefathers suffered in the early part of this century. they must certainly still maintain a wellfounded fear of persecution. Until last year. the policy of the United States had been to embrace. with open arms. the few "refuseniks" allowed to emigrate. But. in October. the previous administration decided to nullify the presumption that Soviet Jews and Pentecostals are groups subject to persecution. As a result. the refugee camps in Ladispoll. Italy. and Vienna. Austria. hold over 11.000 refugees awaiting adjudication of their cases by the Immigration and Naturalization Service examiners. Madam Chairman. we are wasting valuable manpower and money on an adjudication process which should be simple. The whole situation seems counterproductive. In the 1980s. the number of Soviet emigres was reduced to a tiny trickle. Now. due in part to Congress exhaustive efforts. emigrants are flowing out once again. But. rather than expediting the process. the Immigration and Naturalization Service is throwing up roadblocks. Madam Chairman. H.R. 2022 breaks down these roadblocks.
Keywords matched
Immigration Naturalization emigrate emigrants refugees refugee