Speech #1140064472

I think Senator PORTMAN is correct that we are not where we need to be militarily. strategically. and in other ways. to help bring about a situation in which people can return to their homes and be with their families and not have to be running all over the world. marching through Europe. not knowing where they are going to go. in countries that will not and cannot support them. It is not sound policy. I want to address the economic and security threats imposed by the Presidents refugee resettlement plan and talk about it in some detail and explain why the more effective and compassionate solution is to resettle the regions refugees in safe zones in the region rather than flying them into the United States or Europe or other places around the globe. Each and every year. the United States issues green cards to roughly 1 million immigrants. We admit approximately 500.000 foreign students. We distribute work visas to approximately 700.000 foreign workers and grant approximately 25.000 requests for asylum. Asylum is when a person arrives in our country and says: I cant go home because I will be in danger. A refugee is when somebody is in a foreign countrynot their own countryand comes to our Embassy or to the UN and says: I am threatened here. I am not safe. I want to be a refugee and go elsewhere. If they are accepted. they are a refugee. If the others are accepted after they come to our countryperhaps illegallythey are asylees. We have brought in another 70.000 refugees on top of that each year in recent years. The fact is. refugees are among the most costly immigration programs for several reasons. Refugees are instantly eligible for all Federal welfare and entitlement programs. Most are lowskilled and frequently lack any formal education and manymost dont speak English. There is great cost involved in this. One estimate from an expert is that for every 10.000 refugees admitted. there will be a lifetime cost to the U.S. Treasury of $6.5 billion. This year. we are now going to accept 85.000.