Mr. President. this law has had a real and positive impact on refugee adjudication. This liberalized standard is still necessary because conditions for the persecuted groups in the former Soviet Union and Indochina still exist. and in some cases. have worsened. While Soviet Jews have been permitted to emigrate in much greater numbers. those remaining face a greatly increased threat to their wellbeing. AntiSemitism and heightened harassment. violence. and public expressions of hatred by antiSemitic groups like Pamyat are still occurring. and in some areas. are on the rise. While national policies may have changed. many local officials harbor old hatred for these historically persecuted groups. Evangelical Christians and Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox continue to experience harassment. This law is working as intended in the former Soviet Union. It has replaced an arbitrary and slow process of refugee adjudication in the former Soviet Union with a stable. consistent and fair process. It has meant that people already terrorized by longstanding hatred and persecution in their native lands are not further traumatized by a system that does not recognize their historical suffering. or makes arbitrary distinctions among people who have suffered similar fates. Given the significant changes in the former Soviet Union.
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emigrate refugee