Page
7
The president has proposed an overall admissions ceiling of 70,000 refugees, the same ceiling that was recommended for the current fiscal year, with 66,000 to be included in funded regional ceilings. These include 3,500 for Africa, 32,500 for East Asia first asylum cases 8,500 for the East Asia Orderly Departure Program, 10,000 for Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, 4,000 for Latin America and the Caribbean and 8,000 for the Near East and South Asia. In addition, 4,000 would to be contained in an unfunded reserve, unallocated by any region.
J
In response to questions, Shultz said there would be "needs that fall outside the boundaries of the specific requests" for regional refugee ceilings. He noted there were many uncertainties, including the current very low levels of Soviet emigration.
"We keep urging them to allow more emigration. If they should do so, we need to be ready to take those people," the secretary said.
Shultz pointed out that the refugee admissions proposal includes: ruaffirmation of the president's initiatives on Amerasians and Vietnamese political prisoners;
an admissions level to maintain continued high processing levels from the refugee camps in the Southeast Asian first asylum countries;
an increased admissions ceiling for Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union;
expanded refugee admissions from Latin America and the
Caribbean;
an increased ceiling for Africa to accommodate African refugees located far from processing posts in Africa, and those who have been stranded in Europe for several years;
and an increased admissions ceiling for the Near East and South Asia to allow for admission of those fleeing religious persecution and Soviet occupation.
Shultz noted that a report prepared by a distinguished independent panel on Indochinese refugees called for U.S. admissions to move forward on two tracks an adequate assistance program for refugees From Indochina, and assistance for those qualifying through family ties to seek admission through established immigration channels.
"I want to reaffirm our commitment to accept all Amerasian children from Vietnam," Shultz said. "We are equally committed to resettling present and former political prisoners from Vietnam's re -education camps, and their close family members."
He said the president has proposed ceiling of 8,500 for refugees leaving Vietnam directly under the UNHCR's Orderly Departure Program, the same as last year. Shultz said the ODP encountered a "serious setback" when Vietnam unilaterally suspended interviewing of new cases under that program last January 1. The most immediate result, he said, has been a halt to the departure of Amerasian children and their mothers from Vietnam. To date, more than 8,500 children of Vietnamese mothers and American fathers and their immediate relatives have come to the United States under this program.
At a working-level meeting last month in Hanoi, the Vietnamese produced a long-promised list of Amerasian children and their families numbering some 2,000 people," the secretary said, adding, "we hope the discussions we have had will lead to the early resumption of Amerasian departures from Vietnam.
11
"No aspect of the refugee program has caused us greater disappointment than the estimated 6,000 to 7,000 of the so-called re-education camp political prisoners who continue to languish in prisons in Vietnam," he said. "Many are in prison because of their past association with U.S. policies and programs in the region."
"On behalf of the United States, I reaffirm to Vietnam President Reagan's offer of two years ago: release the political prisoners and we will take them, the secretary said.
In response to a question about Soviet emigration policy, Shultz said, "the situation can only be described as discouraging. However, discouraging as it may be, we should never give up and we should never let up.
"Unfortunately, the number of individuals who are granted permission to depart the Soviet Union has continued to decline in the