Why should we designate some groups and not others? The answer is we should not designate any groups. That is why. with Senator KENNEDYS good tutelage and efforts and skilland he will not be able to participate in this debate. that is the way this works. too. when you get to an issue like thiswe changed our refugees laws in 1980. to take the politics. the pressure. the ideology. the parole use. which was so misused. to take it out of the refugee program so that we can offer refuge to those persons truly fleeing political persecution and who are of special humanitarian concern to the United States. The sad part of it isand this amendment will pass like a dose of salts. that is the way it works in this placethis amendment has essentially turned a very fine refugee program into an immigrant program. an immigration program. with one important exception. and do not miss this: The beneficiaries under this program are then resettled in the United States at taxpayers expense. although they come to Join family members in the United States. for the most part. they are not subject to the "public charge exclusion." Mr. President. no one. no sensible. compassionate. caring person would deny that there are persons suffering political persecution in the former Soviet Union. I do not deny in any way that some of them are in the categories covered by the Lautenberg amendment. And I deeply believe we must always maintain a generous refugee quota for those true refugees in the former Soviet Union. We should keep a functioning. supportive refugee processing team in Moscow. Please hear this. I am not in any way saying cut back on what we are doing there. But we should keep this very able. supportive. functioning refugee processing team in Moscow to handle the admission of those determined to be refugees. but only on a casebycase basis. To do otherwise is absurd. This is what the Refugee Act of 1980 was all about. I know my good friend from New Jersey is aware that many of these people who are admitted as refugees solely as a result of this amendment continue to live in the former Soviet Union for months. in some cases even years. after they have been approved for admission to the United States. Hear that. On the one hand. these folks are asserting a fear of persecution. while on the other hand they stay for months or years to wind up their affairs. or to remain with a relative. or some such reason.
Identified stereotypes
Suggests that many people admitted as refugees under the Lautenberg amendment are actually immigrants who are resettled at taxpayers' expense.