Speaker. very briefly. I am an interested spectator in this because I serve on the Judiciary Committee. But I do not have the honor of serving on the Immigration Subcommittee. and I know the gentleman from Connecticut is very knowledgeable. and I am sure there is merit to what he says. On the other hand. I hate to see us get bogged down in turf battles. not that this is one. but there are aspects of it here. and technicalities. I say that because the purpose of the motion to instruct offered by the gentleman from Colorado is to recognize an embattled group of people who are in every sense of the word refugees. who are being persecuted. It is not religious persecution. and we are very sensitive as well and we should be to religious persecution. but this is physical persecution. They stand in fear of being coerced into abortions and sterilization. and thir country ought to be big enough. and strong enough. and compassionate enough to find a way to grant asylum to those people. I suggest to the gentleman from Connecticut. who is compassionate and is resourceful. that there ought to be a way to do this and not burden the excellent Pelosi bill down. It seems to me another thousand Chinese who are not students. but who are going to be persecuted. and who are in reasonable fear of persecution ought to get under that umbrella. the generic umbrella of persecution. as qualifying as refugees. So open our hearts. open our minds and solve this problem. and not look for ways to shoot it down. That would be my thought. and again I thank the gentlemnan for yielding.
Keywords matched
Immigration refugees