Speech #1090150014

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of World Refugee Day. As chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. I stand with my colleagues to articulate the importance of providing aid to refugees. Today we call attention to the plight of refugees. celebrating their courage and resilience. and renewing our commitment to solving refugee problems. Established in 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly. World Refugee Day is celebrated every June 201h. Previously commemorated as African Refugee Day. many countries and regions have held their own Refugee Days to help acknowledge the U.N.s formal recognition of refugees in 1951. June 20th marks a day of global solidarity in an international effort to help refugees. From Africa to Asia. the plight of refugees is not owned by one people or one country. Stemming from cultural. political and economic events. there are over 8.4 million refugees worldwide. Often uprooted from their homes and seeking safe haven in other countries. refugees find themselves in dire situations in need of aid and relief. Founded as a nation of immigrants. we must recognize that many of our Nations citizens are descendants of refugees or refugees themselves. From the potato famine in Ireland to the war in Vietnam. the U.S. has an established relationship of helping our global neighbors find refuge. While we debate comprehensive immigration reform. we must remember the contributions of refugees and be sure to include provisions to aid those displaced by situations they have no control over. Additionally. the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has brought the issue of refugees to our own backyard. Many of those hard hit by Katrina were displaced from their homes. unsure of what to do. Lacking relief efforts and aid. our own citizens experienced the consequences of a situation they had no control over. Let us look to Katrina as an example of the course of action we must take in order for us to prevent situations where those in need are left in despair. As a Nation. we must protect the basic human rights of refugees and ensure that they will not be returned involuntarily to a country where they face persecution. In addition to protecting human rights. we must do all that we can to provide foreign aid and assistance to nations that help refugees. Providing shelter. food. water and medical care in the immediate aftermath of any refugee exodus must be a priority. Furthermore. as chair of the Congressional Ethiopia and Ethiopian American Caucus. I had the privilege of visiting Ethiopia and interacting with refugees. I saw first hand the cultural. political. and economic causes of their suffering. Now. more than ever.