First of all. Mr. Speaker. we are in a situation where our asylum policy represents a double standard. The United States has always had a policy for treating refugees in a very liberal way. The Statue of Liberty is not the symbol of this country for no reason. It is because of the fact that we have always had open doors to those who were suffering or persecuted. Our asylum laws have been very generous and a great outreach for those who were in need. Only in the situation that presently exists with respect to Haitian refugees have we behaved in this way. Only now have we refused to follow our own asylum traditions. our traditions of granting asylum. Only now have we imposed a double standard on a particular nation. Mr. Speaker. the Haitian refugees are alone in the way they are treated by the United States Government. What are the implications of that? The Haitian Government is alone. and it stands out in bold relief. There is nothing subtle about the fact. or secret about the fact. that we have put the Haitians in a special category. If there was anything subtle about it before. then certainly an incident that took place several months ago where Haitian refugees came ashore in Florida in the same boat with Cuban refugeessomehow they had gotten together in the Bahamas. and I do not know the full storybut it was clearly documented that the Cuban refugees in that boat were welcome and given the usual asylum treatment. the same one we would give to refugees coming from Hungary years ago. the same one we are giving now to refugees from the Soviet Union. the same one we gave to refugees from Vietnam. They were treated in accordance with our regular. established asylum policies and traditions. In the boat. the same boat as the Cubans. the Haitians were arrested. taken into custody and treated totally different. Mr.
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refugees asylum policies refugeessomehow asylum policy asylum laws