Madam Chairman. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2022. legislation to provide refugee status for Soviet Jews. For years I have. independently and in concert with my colleagues in Congress. written letters to various Soviet leaders requesting that Jews known to be singled out for particularly harsh treatment be allowed to emigrate to the West. We now have an opportunity to accept a large increase in the number of Soviet Jews seeking to emigrate. but only if we are consistent in our desire to help them. Mr. Speaker. several of my constituents have made trips to Ladispoli. Italy. to gain a firsthand understanding of the difficulties faced by Jews who have been allowed to leave the Soviet Union. but who lack the presumption of persecution necessary to obtain refugee status. They have reported back their dismay at the lack of consistent policy in determining who is deserving of refugee status and who Is not. By allowing the presumption of persecution to Soviet Jews. Evangelical Christians. and certain categories of Indochinese emigrants. the United States continues a tradition of humanitarian assistance to those seeking to escape intolerable living circumstances in their own countries. The bill before us today is a modest effort to take advantage of an opportunity to provide refuge for groups known to suffer persecution in their homeland. We have no way of knowing how long the current liberalization of emigration policy will exist in the Soviet Union. We should. however. assume that this opportunity may not persist and that every effort should be made to allow every Soviet Jew who wishes to establish a new life in America be given that opportunity.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration refugee emigrants