[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 77 (Friday, June 17, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  0910
 
               DO NOT CHANGE REFUGEE LAWS FOR HOMOSEXUALS

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, as reported by CBS News, Attorney General 
Janet Reno announced a shocking new shift of refugee policy for the 
United States--from now on, homosexuals will be eligible to come to 
this country as political refugees.
  Americans are proud of the way that this Nation has welcomed those 
who have risked their lives to fight for basic human rights in their 
home lands. However, bringing refugees to this country is an expensive 
process for American taxpayers, and those slots should be reserved for 
those who truly risk their lives to stand up for their fellow man.
  We need to ask ourselves where our priorities are. Do we really want 
all our refugee slots for a region filled by those applying for asylum 
based on sexual preference while others who flee political persecution 
for their lives are turned down?
  For anyone in the countries named by Attorney General Reno, the 
easiest road to a trip to the United States is claiming that one is a 
homosexual. This policy is subject to widespread abuse!
  From the start, this policy is a bad idea, and I call on President 
Clinton to reject this proposal immediately.

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