Speech #1010080414

With the indulgence of my colleagues. I am not happy with the adminstrations recently announced position on emigration from the Soviet Union. I understand that prior to September 1988. Jews and other religious minorities in the Soviet Union seeking refugee satus were presumed to be persecuted or have a "wellfounded fear of persecution." Many of these persons traveled on Israeli visas to Vienna. and then to Rome. where they were determined to be refugees and opted to come to the United States. Moreover. the United States accepted virtually every Jew and other religious minority from the Soviet Union seeking entry to our country. As the Washington Post noted yesterday "For years when Soviet emigration policy was considered repressive. American efforts were almost solely directed at pressing Moscow to relax the restrictions and then processing as many visas as possible." Since September 1988. however. the United States ceased presuming that all Jews and other religious minorities in the Sovet Union are persecuted or have a "wellfounded fear of persecution." As a consequence. a significant number of Soviet Jews and others have been denied refugee status. I am hopeful that a review of these cases will result in their readjudication as refugees. Moreover. the administration plans to admit 50.000 refugees from the Soviet Union during fiscal year 1990. although. according to administration representatives. it is possible that between 125.000 and 200.000 persons in the Soviet Union may seek such status. Finally. I understand that the United States intends to require. on and after October 1. 1989. that all Soviet citizens seeking entry to the United States as refugees make their applications in Moscow rather than Rome. I hope new refugee policies are not predicated on the recent developments in the Soviet Union regarding glasnost and perestroika and the assumption those developments are much more significant than they currently are. These very recent changes. although welcome. do not alter the essentially totalitarian nature of that regime. It is a regime that denies basic human rights to its own people. including even a semblance of true religious liberty.