Transcripts For CSPAN3 Refugee Act Of 1980 20240714

Host good morning. Im dr. Evans, director of the carter president ial library and museum. Im excited for you to be here today. We are commemorating the refugee act of 1980 signed by president carter in march of that year. On behalf of president carter, who was unable to be here, i want to welcome you to the carter president ial center. We say center because there are two fabulous entities here, the federal entity is the library and museum, which is where you are now, and a few feet away as the Carter Center, which is an ngf. Together, president carter looks at us as the center. We provide him with data, research, camaraderie, advice, and we work really hard for him as well. The refugee act is an amendment to the earlier immigration and nationality act and the refugee assistance act. The goal was to provide permanent and consistent admission to people who were suffering in other nations, and to provide asylum. That was the whole point of it. This is what makes it so exciting to be here today. We are partnering with mark hatfield, the ceo of haius, who had been doing this work for over 100 years, helping people to come to america and work through resettlement, and get their lives back on track here in the United States. The refugee act assists with that. We have a wonderful speaker this morning. Because president carter was unable to come, i could not think of anybody better than the ceo of the Carter Center, ambassador marianne peters. Not only is she a wonderful friend and mentor to me, she has had an wonderful career. He was an ambassador to bangladesh, she was in foreign affair for over 30 years, and now she works for the Carter Center and has a global reach and a much more robust way than being a federal employee. With that said, we are going to bring ambassador peters to the stage and she is going to share a few words. Welcome. This is a great time. Im looking forward to a fabulous discussion and almost enlightenment. [applause] thank you, meredith. Let me add my welcome to meredith. I am delighted to be here at this celebration of the refugee act of 1980, sponsored jointly by the Carter Library and the hebrew immigrant aid society, now known as hias. As meredith told you, president carter is recovering from hip surgery and is unable to be here this morning to celebrate with us. I am standing in for president carter, who supported and signed this landmark law. About the only possible benefit i could think of for having me speak this morning is that i will give more credit to president carters role on the refugee issue that he would have done himself. It is fair to say human beings have been sought and granted refuge since prehistoric times, but not until the last century was a right to refuge recognized. As for the u. S. , it wasnt until the passage of the refugee act of 1980, the milestone we are here to celebrate, that a comprehensive system was put in place to carry out the obligations growing from the right of refuge. I learned from our historian, dr. Steve hochman, there he is, that the english word refugee was first used in the 17th century to describe protestants who fled religious persecution in france. And it was adopted from a french word. By the end of the century, refugee was being used in a generic sense, for anyone who sought refuge from war, religious persecution, political troubles or natural disasters. From the 17th to the 20th centuries, many settlers in the territories that would become the United States would have been considered refugees today. However, there was no legal distinction at the time between them and those who came seeking a better life. And as the immigration of catholics from ireland and southern germany increased during the 1830s and 1840s, a nativist antiimmigration movement arose. Despite that, immigration continued, but antiimmigrant forces did succeed in passing the passing the chinese exclusion act in 1882. This was not our finest hour. I am sad to say that people of chinese descent remained and eligible for u. S. Citizenship until 1943. In the years following the civil war, the United States was growing economically and needed an expanded labor force. New immigrants from eastern and Southern Europe were not legally classified as refugees yet, but again, many would have qualified as such by todays definition. Jewish immigrants especially faced discrimination and violence in Eastern Europe and the russian empire, and the hebrew immigrant aid society, founded in 1881, provided support for those seeking refuge in our country. Skipping ahead to world war i, the turmoil that followed that armageddon brought major changes to have nations viewed the International Migration of people. Among those speaking refuge in the 1920s were russians fleeing the russian revolution, armenians fling turkish control plans, greeks and turks uprooted from each others territories, and many others as well. The new league of nations attempted to address the issue, and in 1921 the league named nansen of norway, a humanitarian who was awarded the nobel peace prize. A piece of trivia, his most famous innovation was the nansen passport, a travel document for stateless persons. The United States need not join the league of nation and turned away during this same period from its tradition as a refuge. The emergency quota act of 1921 and the immigration act of 1924 placed tight limits on the numbers of immigrants who could enter from the very regions that produced the majority of refugees. Again skipping ahead, in december 1940 five, after the end of world war ii, president truman expedited the admission to the United States of displaced persons and refugees under the framework of then existing laws. But it was not until the refugee act of 1953 that refugees, notably those from communist countries, were admitted above the preexisting quota numbers. By the way, speaking of world war ii, i am sure you all know that in the world today the number of refugees and displaced persons totals nearly 70 million, and that number is actually larger than the number of people displaced by the incredible up people of world war ii. Spurred by the refugee crisis that was recognized after world war ii, in 1951 a conference in geneva adopted the convention relating to the status of refugees. That convention was limited to protecting european refugees of world war ii, but it had broader ramifications for International Law because it defined the word refugee and the kind of legal protection, assistance and rights the refugee was entitled to receive. In 1967, the u. N. Adopted the refugee protocol which removed geographical limits of the 1950 one convention and allowed the definitions of the convention to be used universally. Meanwhile, back in the u. S. , this time good news from the u. S. Front, president Lyndon Johnson pushed through sweeping amendments to the immigration and nationality act that abolished the quota system at the prohibition on nonwhite asian immigrants, and provided a permanent basis for the administrator for the admission of refugees into the United States. Now we come to the next significant action of the u. S. Government which regards refugees, the passage of the refugee act of 1980. Why did president carter choose to work with his administration and congress to pass this legislation . This is a story that has not been told, or has not been told fully. President carter has never written about it, although he has written 32 books. And others who have published books about the administration either omit it or barely mention it. Im excited because this event today will explore the story of the refugee act and filling the gaps. One explanation for whether legislation was overlooked is that it may have been overshadowed by the other events of the year. While it should have received significant attention, it was he felt the need to show compassion. As you know, some of you remember, in his inaugural address, he claimed that the nations and human rights must be absolute. Acting on that commitment, in may of 1977, the National Security council wanted a review of u. S. Foreign policy regarding human rights. Was a u. S. Diplomat and i remember the seachange that lace in u. S. Foreign policy during this. Study was written in response to the National Security council mandate. Among the topics it addressed was improved access to the u. S. For refugees and dissidents. The administrations or policy sittinge understood as firmly on president carters unwavering commitment to human rights. Carter, the plight of refugees was an issue that touched him personally. In his white house diary, this i thanks to the doctor that know this, there are frequent comments and reflections on the refugees of the time. He worries about refugees in jews from russia and refugees from lebanon. Abouteatest concern was indochinese refugees. He voiced the need for congress to expand the number allowed into the u. S. Of the vietnamh war, the need for a change to american policy toward refugees became apparent as hundreds of thousands of vietnamese and cambodians for the political chaos and danger in their homelands. Between 19751979, some 300,000 of these refugees were able to come to the u. S. Thanks to president ial action because the law at the time restricted refugee admissions. Many members of congress wanted to establish a more regular system of immigration and create aent that would clear and fixable policy. The indochinese refugees were Given International Media Attention when misses carter visited cambodian and vietnamese inettlement refugee camps thailand in november of 1979. The refugee act of 21980, was passed unanimously by the senate in 1989 and signed by president carter in 1980. E fight on that. Lets reflect on that. Every single senator voted on this act that spring from a feeling of compassion and responsibility. The bill raised the annual ceiling for refugees from 17,400 to 50,000, tripling the number of refugees allowed to enter the u. S. In each year. What was most significant for the long run was that the act adopted the u. N. Agreement of refugee is an agreement of a wellfounded fear of persecution, established by u. N. Conventions and protocols. Office of the u. S. Coordinator of affairs and the office of Refugee Resettlement built in already existing Publicprivate Partnership that still helps today refugees settle and adjust to life in their new country. The story we are here to celebrate. Unfortunately for public appreciation of the new law in early april of 1980, a , few weeks after the law was signed, thousands of cubans seeking asylum flooded the grounds of the Peruvian Embassy in havana cuba. Subsequently, fidel castro decided to let them all go opening the port of mariel to , anyone who wanted to pick them up. He also opened prisons and mental hospitals to the flow. An estimated 125000 cubans were brought to the United States, overwhelming processes set in place by the new law that were to have been implemented. The vast majority were ordinary cubans, but more than 2700 were serious or violent criminals. When the presence of violent criminals among Cuban Migrants came known, popular sentiment turned against refugees in general. To cut to the chase, the u. S. Ultimately dealt with the cuban challenge. The vast majority of them and their children and their childrens children are good, productive residents of United States. And the refugee act that was passed and signed nearly 40 years ago continues to provide , proper protection to potential refugees, and allows the United States protect its borders. So i thank all of you for gathering here at the jimmy carter museum, to illuminate the history, implementation, and impact of this wise and compassionate piece of legislation. Thank you very much. [applause] dr. Evans thank you, ambassador peters. I want you all to look around the sides of this room. Youll see photographs around in 1979, whenn mrs. Carter visited refugee camps in cambodia. Take a moment and see the work that has been done by the carters. And know that, as a federal entity, this is what we do. We maintain the history and a vibrant archive, to show the progress United States makes over time with that said, mark, please come to the podium. Mark thank you dr. Evans. The theme of today is welcome. I want to welcome you to the carter president ial library and museum. Just as we, the people of the United States, welcomed and resettled more refugees, under president carters leadership, than under any president in American History. It is not that the American People were more receptive to refugees in those days. The history of this country is a history of struggle, between those who want to welcome immigrants and refugees, and those who fear newcomers as a threat to our security and to our culture. That struggle long predates america. There is a reason that the torah, the old testament, the first five books of the old testament, commands us 36 times to welcome and love the stranger as ourselves. This is repeated more often than any other commandment. Not because it is the most important, but because it is the easiest to forget or to ignore. President carter did not forget or ignore this commandment. He made it law. He was confronted with no less than four major refugee crises in his four years in office. The indochinese boat crisis, soviet jewry, iranian religious minorities, and the cuban mariel crisis. Through all these, he kept human rights as is northstar. As his north star. Today we have gathered here many , people who laid the foundation for the refugee act, who helped write the refugee act, and who implemented the refugee act. We are sorry that president carter cannot be here. But we do feel his presence, and we are grateful for all he did to make todays celebration possible. A word about how this came about, after seeing present president carter Teach Sunday School in planes, in october of this year. My son and i knew about all of the accomplishments of the Carter Administration that ambassador peters just described. I was looking forward to seeing all of the exhibits about all that president carter did for refugees and asylumseekers per. But all there was in this museum was a single photograph of Roselyn Carter visiting the refugee camps. I was not happy. [laughter] i wrote to dr. Evans, whom i had never met, and i complained about this omission. She wrote back and said that while changing exhibits is an excruciatingly long process, we can do an event together, to celebrate the refugee act of 1980. We chose to do it today, in part because president carter was going to be available. Also because we are in the lead up to june 20, World Refugee day. A day when we celebrate refugees around the world and their contributions. And the day when the u. N. High commissioner for refugees releases their statistics for the year. And here we are at this event. I want to thing my colleagues, Jasmine Sanders and elizabeth roos. Working hard with Christopher Geisler here at the library. Now on with the Program President carter signed the refugee act of 1980. And helped implement it. But it is congress that wrote and passed the act. And it was two heroes who made that happen paired one is the late ted kennedy. One was congresswoman liz holtzman, who represented new york from 1973 to 1981. At that time, she was the youngest woman ever elected to congress. At that time, she was the youngest woman ever elected to congress. The refugee act of 1980 was far from her only accomplishment. She fought hard and even filed a legal challenge to end bombings in cambodia under the nixon administration. She was among the Judiciary Committee members who recommended three articles of impeachment against president nixon. She authored the independent counsel legislation and was a champion of equal rights amendment. And for bringing nazi war criminals to justice. And that is just the tip of the iceberg for Congress Woman holtzman. She is here today because she is the mother of the refugee act of 1980. Congresswoman holtzman . [applause] Elizabeth Holtzman thank you, mark, for that kind introduction. And thanks to all of you for being here. And to the Carter Center and the Carter Library. It is a very special honor for me to join with you today and celebrate the refugee act of 1980. As chair of the house immigration subcommittee, i was privileged to have an opportunity to assist in its enactment. Obviously, there are many people who deserve credit. The first, of course, president jimmy carter, for supporting the act and signing it into law. And also for his administrations extraordinary work in resolving the indochinese refugee problem. The backdrop of the bill. Present carter, i am sorry you cannot be here today, so that you can be thanked in person. I know everyone here wishes you a speedy recovery. Former first lady Roselyn Carter played an Important Role too, traveling to Southeast Asia, visiting the refugee camps, and publicizing the plight of the refugees. By the way, the congresswomen had a special mission at the very time that ms. Carter was in thailand. We met with her. She was visiting refugee camps and we were as well. We came back to the u. S. , we also met at the white house. To consider how we would pursue the issue of helping refugees. So this is a commitment that ms. Carter felt deeply. And we were honored to meet with her about that. And, of course, there is senator ted kennedy. The bill was his idea. And his commitment, perseverance, and legislative skills, were indispensable. Ted kennedy understood the moral dimensions of accepting refugees, and the enhanced stature that doing so gave to the United States. I also want to thank the staff or acknowledge his staff, jerry tinker, and my staff, Jim Schweitzer and skip, the house Judiciary Committee staff who are indispensable in writing and drafting the legislation. I also want to applaud hias for organizing the conference, and for persisting in its vital work of Refugee Resettlement, since the 1980s. And on a personal note, for helping resettle my families as well. These are dark days for america because these are dark days for immigrants to this country those seeking Refugee Status or asylum, those who are undocumented aliens, or even those helping them. Lets not forget that the pittsburgh assassin killed 11 jews at the tree of life synagogue, to retaliate for hias lifesaving refugee work. Our country has been in this circle of hell before. Think of the verlander know Nothing Party in the 1840s, the chinese exclusion act of 1882, 1920 fort racist quota law, aimed at immigrants from southern and Eastern Europe, and americas refusal to provide sanctuary to people fleeing hitler. And its failure to open its doors wide at that time. Todays antiimmigrant and antiforeigner fury shows that progress is not inevitable. Over the past two and a half years, we have hurtled backwards as a nation, repeating some of the cruelest and most bigoted moments of our history. Amazingly, this new, old, bigotry has no shame. His bold and brazen. Our president calls mexicans rapists, prefers immigrants from norway, and tries to shut down immigration from was a majority countries. The bigotry culminated horrifically in the policy approved at the highest levels of our government, of separating thousands of children from their parents at the southwest border, without developing any means to reunite them. Taking children from parents who have not harmed the children, is kidnapping, plain and simple. Fortunately, public outrage forced the program to end. But thousands of children still have not been reconnected with their families. Where was the resistance within our own government . To the orders for kidnapping . Who has been punished for it . Why are the children still separated . I resigned from the Homeland Security Advisory Council over that horrific policy. But that is not all that children on the border have been held in cages. Now Recreational Activities and enlist Language Training are being taken from unaccompanied minors in government detention. Every day we learn new forms of malicious and sadistic policies visited by our own government on refugees and immigrants. And americans are victims too. In a larger way, we suffer from this policy. But just an example, a woman was recently arrested for giving water to three thirsty mexican boys on a roadside. The u. S. Governments heartless conduct today is exactly what our government condemned in the countries of Southeast Asia during the boat people exodus from indochina. I feel so passionately about this because my mother and her parents came to america as refugees. In 1920, they fled pogroms in the ukraine and the communist takeover. My grandfathers Small Business he was seized. My grandmother who was 12 years old was thrown up school because thrown out of school because she was born into a bourgeois family. My father and his family were also immigrants, fleeing desperate poverty, hoping to find a path to a decent life. America opened its arms to all of them. Goodness, because where would i be otherwise . But if my mom and her family had , arrived here just a few years later, the doors of this country might have been shut to them, because of the racist quotas. Im forever grateful that they had this opportunity. But too much of this country is not grateful for foreigners who came here, although all americans except native americans came here willingly or in chains, or are descendents of those who did. Too Many Americans see immigrants and refugees as a threat, not a resource. They see the differences, not our common humanity. They are blind to the striving , the courage, and the idealism of many refugees and immigrants who see the promise of america. The refugees do not see an america that needs to be made great again. This is why we need to revisit and celebrate the refugee act. It shows a very different america. The indochina refugee crisis, which prompted the 1980 act, was in full swing when i became chair of the immigration subcommittee in 1979. To understand the problem firsthand, i traveled many times to Southeast Asia, slogging through dozens of refugee camps, talking to refugees and government officials in every affected country. My heart went out to the boat people. The ethnic vietnamese among them were generally escaping political persecution because they worked for the u. S. During the war. But the vietnamese government also engaged in ethnic cleansing. Expelling Ethnic Chinese who had lived for centuries in vietnam. Most fled in small, and unseaworthy boats, risking capsizing, and attacked by pirates. And even if the refugees reached a neighboring country, they can be pushed back out to sea by the governments that did not want to accept them. In stark contrast to today, the United States government led the world in solving the problem. First, it urged countries bordering on vietnam not to push the refugees back out to sea. Think about that. Telling them to be patient, and that the u. S. Would work to get other countries to resettle the refugees. Next, an International Conference was held in geneva. Because the u. S. Agreed to accept a large number of refugees and set an example. Set an example. Other countries followed suit. Almost all of the refugees were resettled, in one of the most successful efforts of its kind in history, maybe the most successful. And president carter deserves huge credit for that. All of us can be proud of our countrys role. The boat people crisis also prompted the passage of the refugee act of 1980. The act created a permanent framework for the admission of refuges into the United States. Including a mechanism for annual admission. Before that, admission was largely on an ad hoc basis. As a nation, we were not fully now fully committed, and committed in law, to accepting refugees. The act also broadened the definition of refugees, so that anyone fleeing persecution on account of race, religion, persecution, national origin, could qualify. Tothe past, it was limited people fleeing communist countries or the middle east. What was limited was the definition of refugee. Importantly, the act provided funds and offices to administer them, to make Refugee Resettlement here it easier and faster. And finally, the act created a process for seeking asylum. Surprisingly, the act was not controversial. The Senate Passed it unanimously. There was some opposition in the house, which wanted more congressional control over admissions. The act has held up well. Initially, it set a limit of 50,000 refugees annually. Although the president could lift the limit in certain circumstances. In his last year, president obama called for the admission of more than 100,000 refugees. There was no outcry. Before coming here, by the way, refugees undergo very strict scrutiny. The act, and the circumstances surrounding it, shined a very harsh light on presentday practices and attitudes. In 1980, the u. S. Welcomed refugees. Today our government shuns them, and it cut the numbers to be admitted drastically to the lowest ever under the act, one third of the average number. In 1980, our government understood that its history and vietnam created a special responsibility to help those who work for us, and other vietnamese refugees. Today, our government acknowledges no responsibility for the consequences of its malign behavior in the northern triangle countries of honduras, el salvador, and guatemala. These acts included ousting the democratically elected president in guatemala, and propping up authoritarian governments that refused to address poverty and inequality. Not to mention domestic and Gang Violence and the terrible drought in guatemala. If our government wants to tackle the northern triangle exodus, it needs to strengthen governmental institutions in those countries. This means restoring serious cuts in usaid. , enlisting the knowhow of countries in the region, such as guatemala. And the knowhow of the u. N. , to create systems of justice and Economic Development programs targeting the poor. The burden of absorbing the refugees could be shared with other countries. Hello . [laughter] we did that in 1980. But the sneering, bullying treatment of countries in central and south america, as well as canada, would have to stop. These approaches would be cheaper, and more effective than building a useless wall, imposing tariffs, and cruelly mistreating refugees. But theyre unlikely to be implanted. In 1980, the u. S. Knew that it was wrong to expel refugees by sending them back into danger. Today, we are trying to do this and to coerce mexco energy joining with us. Today, our country is a of admitting refugees. Then, we admitted at least 750,000 indochinese refugees, in addition to 600,000 cuban refugees, and hundreds of thousands of jewish refugees from the soviet union. Look at those numbers, 750,000 indochinese refugees, 600,000 cuban refugees, and hundreds of thousands of soviet jewish refugees. There was barely an outcry. What has caused the difference in the response . Think of president carter, and think of president trump. And his whipping up public hostility with false and bigoted claims. Learning the lessons of the 1980 refugee act would allow us to tackle todays refugee problems more humanely, and more successfully. We have done it once, and we can do it again. Thank you. [applause] mark it is now my great pleasure to introduce ms. Mirta ojito, pulitzerprize winning journalist. She shared a Pulitzer Prize for a series on race in america. 2001 and she recently shared an emmy for telemundo coverage of Pope Franciss visit to the americas. She is here today because before becoming a successful journalist, she herself during the Carter Administration, was a mariel refugee, who fled cuba by boat with her family, at the age of 16, with her sister mabel who is also here today with us. Mirta wrote about the experience and the mariel boatlift in, finding manana. A memoir of cuban exodus. This is her second experience speaking here at the president ial library of jimmy carter. Mirta. [applause] ms. Ojito good morning. I used to teach, so i always do that. First of all, thank you to mark for remembering me, because we had never met. But he had read my work. And to jasmine for organizing this and making it possible for my sister mabel to be here. She is a teacher, so is she is able to be here because of her vacation. And to hias, for inviting me to the Carter Library and museum. This is my second time here. And i conducted part of my research for my book here in the library. So thank you for allowing me to do that. And thank you to ambassador peters, for being the first person i have ever heard getting the numbers right, when it comes to the mariel boatlift, and the number of criminals came with the boatlift. You helped her with that . Thank you. [laughter] often people say that castro opened the jails and leave it at that. And while that is technically true, one would have to go a little deeper and find out exactly who were kept in those jails and those insane asylums. And people who have experience with repressive regimes know that not everyone who was behind bars or in insane asylums, deserve to be there. So, out of more than a 125,000 people who came in this five months, as ambassador peters quickly said, about 2700 were concluded to be hardened criminals. That is a tiny amount, especially compared to that Bad Reputation we all received after the boatlift. But anyway, i wanted to tell you a little bit about why i became a refugee. And read a little bit, not too much, because i know reading for books is not too cool. Just a bit, because they asked me to do that. About my experience and why i became a refugee. I grew up, my sister and i, we grew up knowing that one day we would leave cuba. That the life we are supposed to live had been robbed from us. My comments may seem strange now, or the very least outdated, at a time when probably each person here knows of a person who has traveled to cuba recently, as a tourist, or wants to. So now it may be hard to imagine what the 70s were like, the late 1960s and the 1970s in cuba. Even the 1980s and 1990s. So i want to read a little bit from my book to remind you of that time. From 1966 until we left in may, 1980, the main topic of conversation at home and with friends who shared my parents obsession was if, and when, and how we would leave cuba. With the United States closed off to immigrants from cuba, the freedom flight stopped in 1973, our chances were slim. We knew that some desperate people took to the treacherous waters of the gulf of mexico, braving dangerous currents and sharks to make it to miami. Once in a while he hear stories who made it, but we did not hear of those who did not. The ocean was not an option for us. By nature, my mother was pessimistic, my father cautious. Neither knew how to swim. Nor could we go to the other route, and request a visa through spain, because we had no relatives in that country. And no one in that family had even bothered to trace the roots to a spanish ancestor. At last, something extraordinary happened. A deeply religious man with a commitment to upholding human rights assumed the presidency of the United States in 1977. At this point i get emotional, that is why i wish you were here. And announced that he wanted to revamp its just that if it were not for him, we would not be here. That he wanted to revamp his countrys foreign policy. There was no need to have enemies. Antagonism had no place in the world he envisioned. Almost immediately, castro saw in jimmy carter an ally. , the United States president who would finally acknowledge that castro was the rightful president of cuba. And americano who would give him the recognition he craved. Members of congress started traveling to cuba. Officials from both countries again discussing issues of boundaries and fishing rights. An american journalist questioned castro on cuban television, about prisoners he kept throughout the island. And young cubanamericans return to their homeland to pledge their support and youthful enthusiasm to the revolution their parents had refused. In late 1978, with the blessing of the Carter Administration, cubanamericans began a dialogue with the cuban government, that led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners, and the visits of thousands of exiles who returned to the island loaded with gifts. The visits were a jolt to the country and its people. For almost a decade, cuba had lived in complete isolation from the western world. No one could get in, no one could get out. God and the beatles were forbidden. Men with long hair were arrested. Homosexuals and artists were sent to labor camps. Anyone who expressed a desire to emigrate was immediately ostracized, harassed, denied jobs and higher education. Those who openly and defiantly disagreed with the government were jailed or executed. Neighbors spied on neighbors, and everyone was expected to give up all allegiances for the good of the revolution, including obligations to family and loyalty to friends. Of angst andyou distrust, the government surprises all by walking back exiles. Welcoming back exiles. People were stunned and confused, and began to look for a way to escape. Embassy breakins became everyday occurrences. By christmas of there were more 1979, than 100 cubans sheltered in latin american embassies in havana. Despondent that some of the people seemed eager to leave his socialist paradise, castro responded by using the only weapon he had. In a repeat of the 1965 boatlift he threatened to flood south , florida with refugees. In april, 1980, he invited cuba cuban exiles to return to the island to pick up their relatives at the port of mariel. President carter, occupied with International Crises initially , ignored the threat. But miamis cubans desperate to be reunited with their relatives, raised to have on us raced to have annas sure. My fathers older brother was one of them. On may 7, 1980, the day before place knocked on our door, our names must have finally made it to the top of the immigration list. That day, we left our home, our neighborhood, our lives. We left the way one leaves a cherished but impossible love, our hearts heavy with regret, but beating with great hope. What we lived through in cuba is the reason that organizations such as hias exist. Actreason why the refugee was passed. The very definition of refugee adopted by the act, to this day, makes me emotional. Slightly edited, it reads, any person who is outside of his or her country of residence or nationality, and is unable or unwilling to return to it, because of persecution or a wellfounded fear of persecution, on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. As i hope the section i read for from my book makes clear, my family was definitely part of the latter group, because of our political opinions. But we were not the only ones. The refugee act of 1980 became effective the very day that a desperate bus driver plowed a bus against a fence of the Peruvian Embassy in havana, and sought political asylum, thus launching a series of events that led directly to the mariel boatlift, and ultimately to the arrival of 125,000 cubans in five months. All of them, myself included, benefited from the refugee act. Two days after the arrival, my parents and i started taking english lessons in the evening for free. We did not need more government help because we had family, and my parents found jobs right away. But we knew it was there if we needed it. My father was a truck driver and my mother was a seamstress and went to work at a factory, two days after arrival. I want to leave you with this. There are people in this room, or watching this meeting from home, as i hope present carter is, that are directly responsible for us being here today. Especially congresswoman holtzman. Especially, my thanks to you. To all of you, i say thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Everything we are, my family, my three wonderful u. S. Born sons, and my two nephews, our careers, and our family, they are, in addition to myself a teacher, a , pilot, a budding journalist, and home in beautiful miami, my terrific years of the new york times, my love for new york, my travels around the world, the fact that im a practicing journalist who has never been silenced. Everything. And that my sister teaches so many kids in sixth grade. Everything, we owe to this country. And therefore to those of you who opened the doors. And this president carter said so many years ago, welcomed us with open hearts and open arms thank you. [applause] mark now, we are joined by a representative of the United Nations of the deputy high commissioner for refugees in geneva. The second in command, kelly t. Clements who had a long career at this state department. Recently Deputy Assistant secretary of state for population and migration. Around the world in the refugee field, she is known as the dhc. To me she is known as kelly. I have known her for over 20 years, and she in congressional relations at the state department, refugee bureau, and we took Congressional Staff to meet with refugees in west africa and the middle east together. Kelly . [applause] Kelly Clements thank you, mark. Mirta, you are a hard act to follow. Dr. Evans, ambassador peters, mirta, representative holtzman, and guests and friends. Im honored to be with you to celebrate the refugee act of 1980. And i bring greetings from the high commissioner felipe grande. And unhcr colleagues from around the world, who complement the ongoing commitment to refugee protection, and for recognizing the need to rededicate ourselves to the service of the world most vulnerable populations. Speaking very personally, many of you here in the room have served as mentors to me, and friends for me, for three decades. I entered the state department 10 years after the refugee act was adopted. But when i started at the state department, it implantation was in full throttle. Global force displacement currently stands, as was mentioned earlier, at the highest level in recent history. More than and i can say that, the next couple of days youll hear it. More than 70 million women, men, and children, forcibly uprooted from their homes by violence and persecution. Some 25 million who have crossed an international border, and over 40 million, remaining within their own countries, known as internally displaced persons. While refugees and stateless glad to hear that mentioned are our core constituency, we also join with partners to protect and assist the internally displaced. A mission that often involves working in war zones under extremely dangerous conditions. As deputy high commissioner for unhcr, i am enormously proud of over 17,000 people that i work with day in and day out i am enormously proud. Theyre working in the field and often in remote and challenging locations. Both the establishment of unhcr in 1950, and the adoption of the Refugee Convention the following year, were in response to the events of world war ii, as was discussed this morning, and our collective decision to learn from the toughest of lessons. Unhcrs initial job was to help the millions of europeans uprooted from their homes during the war. In the decades since, our role has expanded. We are now leading the response to refugee situations around the globe. And we have operations in 138 countries. We provide many forms of lifesaving assistance, both directly, and through important partners like hias, who i was privileged to see last week in action in ecuador. And we work to achieve longterm solutions for displacement but our core mandate remains the protection of refugees. This role is enshrined in the convention itself, which prohibits governments from forcibly returning refugees to countries where they fear persecution. And central to that prohibition is a question of, who is a refugee . As mentioned by ambassador peters and representative holtzman, the convention defines a refugee as someone who is outside their country and cannot return due to a wellfounded fear of persecution on those five grounds stated by mirta. They relate to the fund mental aspects of a persons identity, things that can not or should not have to change. During world war ii, millions of jews and other populations were targeted for such reasons. And unfortunately around the world today, we continue to see egregious Human Rights Violations carried out against people because of who they are. We see this in the targeting of the rohingya in the myanmar, the murder of teenage boys resisting gangs in central america, and the disappearance of prodemocracy activists in many places around the globe. We see this in the brutal attacks against south sudanese civilians believed to be supporters of the political opposition. And we see this in the violence perpetrated by isis against minorities such as christians , and yazidis, and also sunnis, who do not hold the groups extremist ideology. Although the faces of victims have changed many times since world war ii, the human ability to demonize and oppress others to deny their humanity, sadly , remains. As you have heard from others this morning, the u. S. Formally associated itself with the definitions and obligations in the 1951 convention when it , became party to the 1960s and dashed to the protocol. 1967 even before that, the u. S. Had enacted domestic laws to welcome refugees from various parts of the world. Yet public sentiment was not was not always on the side of refugees. And the various ad hoc laws that allowed for the admission of refugees were hotly debated. In the late 1970s, this was still very much the case. This conversation has never been easy. What made the difference then as is now was one thing. Leadership. In 1975, such leadership came in the form of representative holtzman, and a small group of congressional champions. Together, they pushed back against fear and misinformation, against the notion that vietnamese refugees would never assimilate, or that they posed a threat to u. S. Values. The result as we know was a law that welcomed and assisted vietnamese and other Southeast Asian refugees. Four years later, when president carter, who i hope very much is listening today, took the bold step of doubling monthly resettlement number for Southeast Asian refugees. That act of u. S. Leadership helped to convince other countries to take similar action. Soon after, president carter, representative holtzman, and others, worked to enact the act. That we are celebrate in today. That created a permanent law, to an systematic procedure for the admission of refugees, and granting asylum to individuals from anywhere in the world. As a u. N. Official, who also happens to be an american, i believe that im within my rights to say that the world could use such leadership today. In his 1981 state of the union address, president carter noted, we cannot hope to build a just and Humane Society at home, if we ignore the humanitarian claims of refugees, their lives at stake, who have nowhere else to turn. Our country can be proud that hundreds of thousands of people around the world would risk everything they have, including their own lives, to come to our country. This principle that a country should be proud that victims of persecution and violence seek safety on its shores, is sadly lacking in many parts of the world today. Yet that sentiment is needed now more than ever. Today, worldwide forced displacement is often referred to as the global refugee crisis. And, indeed, it is a crisis. Although not the way that it is often portrayed in the media. The persecution, war, the oppression that are drivers of displacement, are collectively. A crisis. The failure of the International Community to prevent or resolve conflicts, that is a crisis. The inability of victims of conflict to find safety is, again, a crisis. Yet, too often, the displaced themselves are seen as the problem. As if their Movement Across borders is all that needs to stop. As a result, governments often respond by shutting doors, denying victims of persecution the safe haven they desperately need. We see this on every continent in the world today. We saw this in 2015, when more than a million refugees and migrants crossed the mediterranean in search of safety and aid in europe. Almost 85 of those arriving were from the worlds top 10 refugee producing countries. Including syria and afghanistan. The initial response by some governments was chaotic. With the various borders being locked, and tens of thousands of people left stranded. Eventually, a more coordinated approach took hold. But we continue to see an uneven response to asylumseekers. Instead of humane and consistent policies governing disembarkation and access to , systems, we sometimes see denials of access which can force refugee seekers further into the hands of smugglers and traffickers. We have seen this in asia as well. In 2015, thousands of Rohingya Refugees took to boats. Either directly from myanmar or from neighboring bangladesh. The governments in the region responded with various policies, many initially denying access. After images of desperate rohingya stranded at sea on rickety boats went viral, several countries allowed them to come ashore. Two years later, in late 2017, more than 700,000 rohingya fled into bangladesh, after renewed violence in myanmar. They joined 250,000 who had already been there for decades. The response by the government and the people of bangladesh has been incredibly generous. But the pressures on the rohingya to return to myanmar are mounting. While in other boat crisis well, hopefully, not occur, it is, of course possible. And despite a long and proud tradition in africa, hosting refugees, weve also seen people denied protection on that continent as well. In 1996, thousands of liberian refugees spent days at sea, rejected at one west african port, after another. Until ghana and sierra leone finally relented and let them disembark. Today, Subsaharan Africa is home to more than a quarter of the worlds refugees, with many countries hosting each others citizens, as conflicts become interrelated. Yet the forced return of Asylum Seekers still occurs on a regular basis. This is not a solution. Here in the u. S. , a vigorous debate regarding how to respond appropriately to an increase in the number of asylumseekers from central america. We welcome this discussion as an opportunity to draw attention to the brutal violence in central america, which is causing Central Americans to flee and to Seek Solutions to these dilemmas. As part of that solution, we are working to help the Mexican Government enhance its asylum system. So that individuals and families fleeing honduras, guatemala, el salvador, can find protection closer to home, without resorting to a dangerous onward journey. At the same time, we call on countries to provide access to asylum systems. As we do elsewhere in the world unhcr stands ready to offer , Technical Assistance and guidance in helping the u. S. Respond to what is clearly a challenging humanitarian situation on its southern border. We are also working to help governments in the americas respond to movement of venezuelans, in what constitutes now the largest exodus in the recent history of latin america. Every day, 30005000 refugees, venezuelans, leave due to violence, insecurity, and lack of essential services. 4 million refugees now live abroad, mainly in countries in south america. We believe that the majority of those fleeing venezuela now, are indeed of International Refugee protection. Before arriving yesterday here in atlanta, i spent a week in south america with our teams in ecuador and colombia. We met with venezuelans who had left the country recent lay. The situation, to be blunt, is desperate. Despite the generosity of despite the generosity of Host Communities and the openness of countries in the region. And while on the surface many of those leaving venezuela are simply in search of food, shelter, access to health care, support, time and again we were able to hear the full story. The refugee dimension became very clear. Straps below this surface of poverty and desperation, and you hear the stories of persecution, intimidation, targeted violence, often at the hands of paramilitary street gangs called collectivos. This is simply not an economic crisis, but a political one. Millions leaving venezuela are in need of protection. In quito, ecuador, we met joiner silva, who described being swarmed by 30 motorbikes, by men in white masks, after her husband, a professor, switched political sides. The government took away their home, denied them access to food, and after the collectivos stabbed her husband, she fled. With her three kids. While she had been in quito for one week when we talk with her a few days ago her husband is in , peru, recovering. And their family is in chile and colombia. And obviously, she was trying to rejoin them. A couple of days later near the border with venezuela, we visited a youth shelter specializing in support for victims of sexual expectation exploitation and abuse. Already a major problem within the colombian community, in one of the most impoverished states. The centers director describe the influx of young venezuelans, many unaccompanied, trafficked and smuggled, as an atomic bomb. The protection risks are just that serious. The exodus from venezuela is fast approaching the scale of some of the other mega crises in recent history, such as syria and indochina. Emergencies that can define an entire region for generations. Although uniquely complex in its mix of economic social, and political factors, the situations facing those leaving the country reminds us of the situation of refugees around the world. Despite the medias focus on refugees crossing oceans or deserts, to reach western nations, the overwhelming majority of refugees cross just one border and remain close to home. In ecuador, we met many moving further south. They were primarily doing so out of desperation, seeking safety and support that was elusive further north. After seeing people sleeping on the streets in northern columbia, i can see why. This is a recurring theme. And a trend. As result, the past several years, unhcr, and partners, and the private sector, and the world bank have begun pursuing a , new approach to refugee response. The approach contains four key components, first we are increasing support to the refuge he hosting committees and lebanon, kenya and uganda, bangladesh and mexico, in ways that will help them improve the lives of their own citizens. As well as helping refugees. Second, giving refugees opportunities to go to school and earn a living, inclusion. Third, we are asking the International Community to provide more opportunities for resettlement and other legal migration pathways, such as work visas and scholarships. Finally, we are redoubling our efforts to bring about the conditions that enable refugees to return voluntarily to their home countries. Refugees fleeing violence and persecution clearly needs safety. But they also need to be included in the societies hosting them, and have the chance to create a better future. With skills and education, they can also help to rebuild their home countries once conflict has ended. This is called the comprehensive refugee response framework. It is intended to achieve a more predictable and equitable responsibility sharing among donors, refugee hosts, resettlement countries, and others. We need a stronger and more equitable response to large refugee movements and situations of prolonged displacement. In the decades since the 1951 convention was adopted, it has become clear that Sustainable Solutions to refugee crises cannot be achieved without Significant International cooperation or without leadership. Here in the United States, issues of refugee protection and aid have, for decades, been debated. The response has sometimes shifted, as we have heard this morning. As happens in other parts of the globe, sometimes courageous leadership allows humanity to win out. As it did in 1980. And sometimes, however, fear takes hold, as it did when the st. Louis was denied permission to land, and hundreds of jews were returned to europe in 1939. Today, with a Record Number of global forced displacement, the United States remains the biggest donor to unhcr and other partners. The u. S. Remains a top country for resettlement and asylum, which would clearly not be the case if it were not for the refugee act of 1980. Despite the debates, i am confident that the traditional leadership in the generosity the American Government and the American People, as exemplified by president carter and so many others here in this room []. As president carter said, whether the borders that divide us are picket fences or national boundaries, we are all residents neighbors in a global community. Thank you very much. [applause] jasmine good morning. I am the special projects. Through theias efforts of many including hias newly elected board chair, we were able to have Vice President mondale sent us a short message. Please sit back and watch. [video] mr. Secretary general, some tragedies defy the imagination. [indiscernible ] that language itself breaks beneath the strain. Instead, we grasp for metaphors. We speak in the inaudible dialect of the human heart. [indiscernible] , a tide ofre bondage human misery, [] our our languages and rest enriched, and our civilization is impoverished. Lives and the decency of selfrespect of a civilized world. Each nation [] [indiscernible] role, it is heartbreaking to think of [] [] the desperate human being humanitarian [], it is also a test, a celebration. They begin with high hopes, [] if we fail the test of civilization [] 168,000 refugees in the coming year. The governors and members of congress [] and our delegation, as well as outstanding throughout america [indiscernible] ra symbol of their enduring commitment of president carter and the American People. The growing exodus from indochina still outstrips international efforts. We must [] working together, lest we all risk conflict [] will arise Southeast Asia in Southeast Asia unless this conference gives birth to new connections, not simply new metaphors [indiscernible] it is a time for action my friends, not for words. The same [] enjoyed today. Our children, if we fail. [indiscernible] these people and these great principles, seem so far away. On the eve of this one is that the atmosphere is so much like the others. Lets not be like that legacy of shame. Let us reach beyond the metaphor. Let us honor the principal. Lets do something meaningful. [indiscernible] a world problem [] a world solution. Dear friends gathered at the jimmy carter president ial library, first and most importantly, i wish jimmy carter a speedy recovery. We need him. I thank you for celebrating the refugee act of 1980. Achievementnitarian by the countries and administration and congress. The american heart. To provide a heart for those fleeing tyranny [indiscernible] we are enriched by those who came over the decades. Our aspirations expressed in a test of civilization speech continue to guide us forever in 2019 and forever more. On this, the 75th anniversary of dday, i thank you for the goodness, your decency, and your leadership. God bless you. [applause] announcer and now youre watching American History tv. Every weekend, beginning saturday at 8 00 am, we bring you 48 hours of unique programming, exploring our nations have passed. Our nations past. It is different but it is very pretty appear. Announcer up next, the first officer in charge and cofounder of the u. S. Navy Fighter Weapons school discusses his book, top gun, and american story. Hehis illustrated talks, offered a firsthand account of the real story behind its development. The Smithsonian Associates hosted this event. Good evening. With theen rosenberg Smithsonian Associates. I would like to welcome you to this program. 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