[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5167-S5168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Franken, and Ms. 
        Hirono):
  S. 3241. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to 
reaffirm the United States' historic commitment to protecting refugees 
who are fleeing persecution or torture; to the Committee on the 
Judiciary.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I am reintroducing the Refugee 
Protection Act, along with Senators Franken, Durbig and Hirono. The 
world is confronting the worst refugee crisis since World War II. There 
are more than 65 million people who have been forcibly displaced around 
the globe. In the face of such staggering human suffering, we must not 
lower our torch--we must raise it higher. The Refugee Protection Act of 
2016 takes important steps to bolster and update our laws to address 
the urgency of today's crisis. Now, more than ever, we must reaffirm 
our role as a humanitarian leader and renew our commitment to those 
fleeing persecution across the world.
  The ongoing conflict in Syria makes clear the enormity of the 
humanitarian crisis we face. The terror inflicted by Bashar Al-Assad's 
regime and ISIS, which now subjects vast swaths of the region to its 
barbaric rule, has forced more than half of Syria's 23 million people 
from their homes and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of 
civilians Currently, there are more than 4.8 million registered Syrian 
refugees, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children.
  The United States must assert its leadership in efforts to resettle 
the innocent victims of this catastrophe. That is precisely the call so 
many of us respondedjiipj:st a year ago when the world came together 
stunned and heartbroken over the image of a 3-year-old Syrian child's 
lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach. His tragic death touched 
our hearts and focused our attention on the desperate plight of this 
population. We must not forget him or the plight of the thousands of 
other children who are attempting the same terrifying journey to 
safety.
  We also cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis that is closer to home. 
Ruthless armed gangs in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala continue 
to brutalize women and children with impunity. El Salvador and 
Guatemala have the highest child murder rates in the world--higher even 
than in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. These three Central 
American countries also account for some of the highest rates of female 
homicide worldwide. The violence and impunity in the Northern

[[Page S5168]]

Triangle has forced thousands of mothers and children to flee and seek 
refuge wherever they can find it. The administration's Central American 
Refugees Minor, CAM program and its expansion of the Refugee Admissions 
Program in Central America are an acknowledgment of the unique 
protection needs resulting from this crisis.
  In response to these challenges, and so many others around the world, 
we must adapt our laws to make good on our commitment as a nation of 
refuge and freedom. It is our moral obligation but it is also in our 
national interest.
  Our refugee program sends a powerful message to the rest of the 
world: America is not your enemy. We stand against persecution and 
terrorism in all its forms. A strong refugee program undermines the 
hateful propaganda of ISIS that there is a war between Islam and the 
West, that Muslims are not welcome here, and that the ISIS caliphate is 
their true home. By offering refuge to the world's most vulnerable 
people, regardless of their religion or nationality, our refugee 
program lays bare those lies.
  The landmark Refugee Act of 1980 affirmed the commitments we made in 
ratifying the 1951 Refugee Convention. The Refugee Protection Act of 
2016 that Jam introducing today would reaffirm the spirit of those 
commitments and ensure that our law is up to meeting the humanitarian 
crisis of our time.
  First, our bill would repeal harsh and unnecessary hurdles that exist 
in current law. It would eliminate the requirement that asylees file 
for asylum within one year of arrival. This is an arbitrary deadline 
that has prevented many deserving people from pursuing legitimate 
protection claims. It is particularly harmful to those individuals who 
may be slow to come forward and recount their trauma, such as victims 
of rape or torture. The bill also includes important safeguards to 
ensure that victims of gender-based persecution and LGBT asylum-seekers 
receive the protection they deserve.
  Second, our bill provides critical protections for children and 
families. It would enable vulnerable minors seeking asylum to have 
their cases adjudicated by an asylum officer in a non-adversarial 
setting. Importantly, our bill would require the Attorney General to 
appoint counsel for children and other vulnerable individuals, allowing 
those who cannot advocate for themselves to receive a fair day in 
court. It is unconscionable that young children are being brought 
before U.S. Immigration judges without a lawyer to represent them. And, 
it would provide that all children in the custody of the Department of 
Homeland Security must be adequately screened for protection needs.
  Our legislation also includes important protections for refugee 
families. It would allow certain children and family members of 
refugees to be considered derivative applicants for refugee status if 
they have undergone the requisite security checks. Refugees escaping 
persecution should not have to choose between finding refuge and 
keeping their families together.
  Third, our bill promotes a more efficient asylum and refugee process. 
It would require timely notice of immigration charges and provide for 
updated conditions of detention, preventing individuals from 
languishing in detention at taxpayer expense and encouraging efficient 
case adjudication in our immigration courts. It includes measures to 
provide particularly vulnerable individuals with a full and fair 
opportunity to seek protection in the United States. The bill would 
also establish a secure ``alternatives to detention'' program to ensure 
the appearance of individuals in removal proceedings.
  Finally, our bill would facilitate the integration of refugees into 
our communities, which is a longstanding tradition in this country. It 
ensures that the Reception and Placement grants, which help refugees 
become self-sufficient, are adjusted on an annual basis for inflation 
and cost of living. It would also provide that resettled refugees who 
work for our government overseas do not face unnecessary hurdles in 
their adjustment to lawful permanent residence. Our bill also 
authorizes a study of our refugee resettlement program and improves the 
collection of data to ensure that our resettlement system uses 
resources efficiently.
  I am proud of the role Vermont has played in welcoming refugees. 
Since 1989, our State has welcomed nearly 8,000 refugees from more than 
a dozen war-torn countries. RecerThy, Mayor Christopher Louras and 
members of the Rutland community announced plans to resettle 100 Syrian 
refugees. I applaud their decision, which should serve as an example to 
other communities in Vermont and across the country. I am confident 
that Vermont will do its part to provide a welcoming home for these 
families.
  I am hopeful that if we pause and remember the role refugees and 
asylum-seekers have played for generations in making our communities 
strong and vibrant, we will be able to move past the hateful, ugly 
rhetoric of this campaign season. Our moral obligation to innocent 
victims of persecution demands it, and our national interest requires 
it. I urge all Senators to support the Refugee Protection Act of 2016.
                                 ______