That was a bad policy decision. Loan guarantees are a humanitarian issue. Soviet refugees need absorption assistance. For years. the United States fought for the right for Soviet Jews to emigrate. We put our prestige and our trade benefits on the line for that policy. For years. there was not a highlevel meeting between an American and Soviet Union official that took place in which the issue of unfettered emigration was not raised. There was not a Soviet official who did not know that MFN. mostfavorednation trading status. was inextricably linked to free emigration for Soviet citizens. And now Soviet Jews are emigrating in unprecedented numbers. We won the battle on free emigration. At the same time. we have limited the number of Soviet refugees who can come to the United States. I believe that we have a moral obligation to help resettle these people from the former Soviet Union. these refugees who seek freedom. The administration is wrong to hold them hostage to a policy over which these people have absolutely no control. The need in Israel for absorption assistance could not be greater. Over 400.000 new immigrants arrived in Israel since late 1989. The population has been boosted by nearly 10 percent. and it is expected that it will increase by more than 20 percent. Can you imagine the United States having to absorb 50 million new residents in a period of a couple years and the kind of stress and strain it would put on our systems and on our people?
Keywords matched
emigration emigrate immigrants emigrating refugees