We have run into a rather unusual and difficult situation as it relates to those who have left the Soviet Union. They have been given the understanding. or at least the appearance of an understanding has been created. that they will be able to gain entrance into the United States. We knew that the whole flow of emigration from the Soviet Union reached about 50.000 in 1980. diminished to about 1.100 or 1.200 a year in the early part of the 1980s. and then was expanded recently in the last year. During the period of the earlier 1980s. it was generally recognized that any individual who left the Soviet Union was effectively granted the status of refugee to be able to gain entry into the United States. This was never an issue since the flow was down to a trickle in number. and so many of the individuals able to leave had suffered persecution. had suffered intimidation. and had suffered long separations from their families. We have seen in the last several months a virtual explosion of individuals desiring to be reunified with their families in the United States and able to leave the Soviet Union. and a change was made by the INS in the way they were going to treat those individuals.
Keywords matched
emigration refugee