Mr. President. as the Senate prepares to approve legislation today providing a 1year reauthorization of the Refugee Act of 1980. I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss with the distinguished chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Affairs a few of my primary concerns in this area. Let me say at the outset that I am pleased we are turning our attention to this landmark statute. The Refugee Act has brought order to a once chaotic process and. most importantly. has clearly established this countrys policy of humanitarian treatment of persons desperately fleeing persecution and strife in their homelands in search of freedom here in America. Nevertheless. Mr. President. the law Congress enacted 11 years ago is in need of revision. I am disappointed that so much time has passed without an authorized refugee statute and am eager to see a comprehensive review of the Refugee Act address some of its shortcomings. Mr. President. the area in which I take greatest issue with our immigration policyand not Just the Refugee Actis our failure to recognize that along with the Federal Governments sole authority to control immigration flows comes the primary financial responsibility to pay for the domestic impact of the Governments admission policies. Is it my colleagues shared belief that the Federal Government should shoulder the primary burden of the costs of immigration?
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Immigration Refugee refugee immigration