Speech #1040186661

It is not mandatory. I think it is a step forward in the right direction. so that human rights can be further recognized in that very troubled region of the world. The Migration and Refugee Assistance provisions come under our subcommittee. We. after hearings and hearing from all of the refugee community. have decided that it was very important that we hold harmless the refugee budget. The world is awash with refugees. We have to at least provide. I think. this modest amount of money to provide for them. There is $671 million in each of the fiscal years for refugee programs. $500.000 higher than the administrations 1996 request. and substantially higher than the estimates that the administrations requests were based on for 1997. So we held those refugee assistance accounts harmless. There is also allocation of funds for certain Burmese refugees and for the resettlement of refugees to Israel. They are carried over from the prior year. We have also authorized such funds that are necessary for the resettlement of certain Southeast Asia refugees in the high risk categories identified by the Lautenberg amendment. primarily those that served with the United States forces in the former government of South Vietnam. religious refugees and members of the Hmong ethnic minority from Laos. Subsection 1104(b) prohibits expenditures on programs involving repatriation to Vietnam. to Laos or Cambodia. unless the remaining asylum seekers have been or will be interviewed by United States immigration officers. and unless resettlement offers have been made or will be made to those found to be refugees under United States law. This provision was modified in conference to make it clear that the refugee status interviews can. under certain circumstances. be held in the asylum seekers country of origin. This is to accommodate the administrations socalled Track Two plan for interviews in Vietnam. This plan will only work if we can somehow guarantee the safety of the asylum seekers during the interview process. We are not there yet. but this provision. which did pass the House 266 to 156 in a broad bipartisan vote. will help us with those boat people. so that we close out the comprehensive plan of action with honor and kindness. and not cruelty. The section on the Cuban immigration policies. and this is I think very timely. Mr. Chairman. this would require periodic reports on the Cuban Governments methods of enforcing its 1994 and 1995 antiimmigration agreements with the United States. and on the treatment of persons returned by the United States to Cuba.