[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4164-S4165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           WORLD REFUGEE DAY

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, tomorrow, I will be back home in 
Burlington, VT, to take part in a joyous occasion. In an afternoon 
ceremony at the Ethan Allen Homestead, I will attend a naturalization 
ceremony in which 14 new Americans from 11 countries will be 
administered the Oath of Allegiance. The participants will be 
surrounded by family and friends as they stand proudly next to the 
American flag and formally became U.S. citizens. It will be an honor to 
stand with them.
  As we celebrate these immigrants who will join our ranks as American 
citizens, today, on World Refugee Day, we must not forget the plight of 
millions of refugees who have not been as fortunate. Right now, there 
are over 70 million people across the globe who have been forcibly 
displaced from their home countries by the horrors of persecution, war, 
famine, and chaos. In 2018 alone, nearly 13.8 million people were newly 
displaced, meaning that 25 people were forced to flee their homes every 
single minute of 2018. Nearly half of all refugees are children under 
the age of 18, many of them just infants and toddlers.
  On World Refugee Day, we must recommit ourselves to the hallowed 
American tradition of being a refuge for the persecuted and the 
oppressed. Welcoming refugees with dignity is not a Democratic or a 
Republican priority; it is the American way. We are a better country 
for it. No single administration will ever be able to erase that from 
our DNA as a nation of refugees and immigrants.
  I couldn't think of a better way to highlight the indelible 
contributions of immigrants and refugees to our society than to share a 
personal story that my good friend, U.S. District Court Judge Bill 
Sessions, recently offered at a naturalization ceremony at Vermont's 
State House marking the 17th anniversary of 9/11. Judge Sessions' 
remarks came just months after he suffered a life-threatening injury, 
only to later discover that the medical professionals who helped save 
his life were the very same immigrants he had sworn in as American 
citizens years earlier.
  I for one, am most grateful that they were here in America to save 
his life.
  I ask unanimous consent that Judge Sessions' statement be printed in 
the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

Statement of U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III, Vermont 
          State House Naturalization Ceremony--Sept. 11, 2018

       I am going to tell you my story. Of course I'm not going to 
     tell you my whole life story, just that part which relates to 
     my injury and illness a number of months ago. So on one level 
     I will share with you my story, my experience. But it really 
     isn't about me. It's about all those who came to my aid. It's 
     about wonderful people who have recently moved here to this 
     country to pursue their dreams, and it's about what these 
     folks do for all of us.
       I've been a federal judge since 1995, about 24 years. One 
     of my favorite parts of the job is to preside at 
     naturalization ceremonies. Over the years, I've had 
     ceremonies, in courtrooms, schools, museums, on boats and in 
     legislative halls. Currently, there are 24 such ceremonies 
     performed each year in Vermont, and between 700 and 800 
     people are sworn in as American citizens. I do two a year, 
     aboard the Ticonderoga at Shelburne Museum and in the State 
     House on September 11th of each year. The State House 
     ceremony is very special. Patrick Leahy and I organized the 
     first such ceremony on the first anniversary of the September 
     11th attack as a statement that we cherish what immigrants 
     bring to this country, that our welcome to new citizens will 
     not be diminished by the acts of terrorists. It's a large 
     group of between 60 and 80 applicants for citizenship. We 
     have held ceremonies on September 11th of each year ever 
     since.
       Naturalization ceremonies are joyous celebrations. The new 
     citizens are from all over the world. In fact these 
     ceremonies often evolve into celebrations of their own 
     cultural traditions. Many come in their native dress, and all 
     of their families share in their celebration. They come up 
     after the ceremony for pictures with me. My photo must rest 
     on hundreds of mantles.
       There are a couple of themes that seem universal. First, 
     they are all very happy. For many, this day is the 
     culmination of a long struggle. Many have come from refugee 
     camps in Bhutan or Nepal or war-torn areas, such as Somalia 
     or Bosnia. Some were raised in Communist countries, including 
     Russia, China and the Eastern Bloc countries. Some were from 
     Central and South America, having come here to escape 
     violence at home, and others were from Europe or Canada. They 
     speak about their dreams of America. The American dream is so 
     inspirational for so many new citizens: hope, freedom, 
     education, employment. It is inspirational for us who have 
     lived here all of our lives to be reminded that so many look 
     to this country as a beacon of hope. And we are a multi-
     cultural community. We take pride in our diversity. The 
     infusion of rich cultural traditions is in many ways our 
     lifeblood.
       At the same time, naturalization ceremonies mark 
     transitions from their homes and extended families to our 
     community, and that transition is hard. They bring with them 
     such rich cultural traditions, but often they see in their 
     children the influence of the western community. Fernanda 
     spoke to this--you feel caught between two worlds.
       But where do they go after being naturalized? There have 
     been over 12,000 new citizens sworn in since I have been a 
     judge. That's a very significant portion of our whole 
     community. Yet I never understood where they go. How do they 
     integrate into our Western culture? Just what were they doing 
     here that impacts all of us? Now I have a much greater 
     understanding of what they contribute for all of us.
       Now to my story. In late February, Abi and I were skating 
     on the frozen fields of Blue Ledge farm, our daughter's and 
     son-in-law's property. I took a fall backwards, striking my 
     head on the ice. The sound could be heard throughout the 
     county. I gathered myself. I seemed to have a headache, but 
     not more. We skated back to the car. I of course did nothing.
       Over the next two months I occasionally had minor 
     headaches. It seemed like nothing more than a distraction. 
     Things changed on a Sunday night in May. I had trouble 
     speaking. Abi wanted to take me to the nearby ER, I said I'd 
     visit a doctor the next day. John Barstow called. He in his 
     own blunt way ordered I go to the ER. Two vs. one, so we went 
     Sunday night. A CT scan was done and sent to the University 
     of Vermont Medical Center. A neurosurgeon reviewed it and 
     sent back the following message: I had massive bleeding in 
     the brain, I was to be transported to Burlington, and he had 
     scheduled brain surgery for 4 that morning.
       So I remember very well meeting the neurosurgeon outside of 
     the operating room. He explained the presence of blood and 
     the movement of the brain from the pressure. He then waited 
     for my response, but I couldn't answer him. I could not 
     speak, I couldn't make a sound. He was an older man, almost a 
     contemporary of mine. He put his hand on mine and said in a 
     very kind way: ``We're going to make you all better.'' I 
     could only nod.
       I spent close to a month in the hospital, rotating between 
     UVM Medical Center and Fanny Allen. One of my first 
     observations was that people who took care of me were from 
     all over the world. Those included nurses, medical 
     technicians, and support staff. I just loved talking with 
     them about their stories. They all had such pride in their 
     cultural heritage. And they had such hope for their life here 
     in the United States.
       One day one of my favorite nurses said to me: ``You 
     probably don't remember me, but you swore me in as an 
     American citizen.'' I didn't remember her, but I felt an 
     immediate connection. The ceremonies were special to both of 
     us, and I felt a joy and a level of comfort that she was 
     taking care of me. Also there was such a sense of small 
     world.
       During my hospitalization I had a number of setbacks that 
     are common with this type of operation. Those setbacks took 
     away my strength. They also impacted my ability to walk and 
     to speak. I began occupational and physical therapy and 
     speech pathology to relearn those skills. On the second day 
     of meeting my occupational therapist, she told me that I had 
     sworn her in as a citizen on September 11th at a State House 
     ceremony. She brought the program for the ceremony the next 
     day. Yes indeed, I was the judge who performed her ceremony. 
     And in the course of my rehabilitation, I met a number of 
     therapists, many of whom were either naturalized citizens or 
     were married to naturalized citizens. So the answer to my 
     original

[[Page S4165]]

     question: Where do immigrants go to integrate into the 
     community? Many go in to the health care community.
       But then how about the neurosurgeon? He had reviewed the CT 
     scan, ordered that I be transported to Burlington. He 
     scheduled surgery at 4 a.m., and waited all night to perform 
     the operation. And he was so kind to me before the operation.
       My follow-up appointment with him was one month after the 
     operation. Abi and I went to his office. A CT scan was done, 
     which he showed us. The bleeding had stopped, the blood was 
     all gone, and the brain had moved back to where it was 
     supposed to be, about 2.2 cm. He then said to both of us: 
     ``You will make a full recovery.'' As he was leaving the 
     room, I said to him: ``Doctor, thank you for saving my 
     life.'' He stopped, looked directly at me and said: ``You're 
     welcome. And thank you, Judge.'' I had no idea why he would 
     thank me and asked for what. His response: ``On September 
     11th, 2006, on the fifth anniversary of the attack on New 
     York and Washington, at a ceremony at the State House in 
     Montpelier, you swore me in as an American citizen. It was a 
     very special day for me.''
       So what have I learned from my experience? Immigrants bring 
     to us their stories, the richness of their cultural 
     traditions. This makes our community so much more diverse and 
     interesting. We all benefit so much by their presence.
       But now I look at the group being sworn in as citizens in a 
     different light. Among the group may be nurses, medical 
     technicians and aides who care for us when we are our most 
     vulnerable; there may be therapists and speech pathologists 
     who work to restore us who have been injured to our previous 
     health; there may be doctors and surgeons who make life-
     altering decisions that may save our lives; there may be 
     teachers and principals who care for and educate our 
     children; there may be civil rights lawyers who defend our 
     liberties, and police officers who protect us in the 
     community. With the exception of native Americans we or our 
     ancestors made that same voyage, often with those same 
     dreams. We are them and they are us. We need to welcome them, 
     but we also should thank them for all they do to make our 
     community a safer, healthier and richer place in which to 
     live.

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I want to take the opportunity to join 
communities across the country and around the globe to commemorate the 
19th observance of World Refugee Day.
  Let me start with two sobering statistics from the UN agency charged 
with protecting refugees. The first is that 25 people were forced to 
flee their homes every minute of last year. The second is that more 
than 70 million people have now been forcibly displaced by conflict and 
persecution, the highest number the UN refugee agency has ever seen. So 
suffice it to say that the global need is real.
  Which is why it is so heartbreaking to see Donald Trump's repeated 
efforts to try and slam America's doors shut to the world's most 
vulnerable.
  It is particularly outrageous that the Trump folks aren't even on 
track to admit their own historically low cap of 30,000 refugees this 
year.
  Let's be clear: Turning away refugees isn't some cornerstone of 
conservatism. Ronald Reagan admitted tens of thousands of refugees, so 
did George W. Bush.
  In another era, that would have included my family, who fled Nazi 
persecution in the 1930s, seeking sanctuary in this country. I would 
have never had the honor of representing my State of Oregon here in 
this body had America sent my parents away.
  Now, Edith and Peter Wyden aren't exactly household names, but here 
are a few that should be: Madeleine Albright, Albert Einstein, Gloria 
Estefan, Mila Kunis, and Elie Wiesel.
  America is so much the richer for their contributions to diplomacy, 
physics, music, film and television, literature, and more.
  So there is a practical reason for accepting refugees: Doing so makes 
America better.
  There is also a moral reason for accepting refugees. Faith traditions 
speak of it as a duty to repair the world or to welcome the stranger. 
In Oregon, we just call it the right thing to do.
  America is better than the administration's cruel and callous 
policies. I remain committed to challenging Donald Trump's 
exclusionary, anti-refugee policies on all fronts, and I challenge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Folks are looking to the Senate for strong, principled leaders. They 
want more than rhetoric; they want results.
  So I urge my colleagues in the strongest terms to honor this World 
Refugee Day by rolling up their sleeves and working to revive America's 
historic, bipartisan commitment to the plight of refugees around the 
world.
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, it has been said many times before, but it 
bears repeating today more than ever, on World Refugee Day--ours is a 
country built by immigrants. We have a proud tradition of welcoming 
foreigners to our shores.
  The first European settlers in North America--those who founded our 
original Thirteen Colonies--were fleeing religious oppression and 
persecution. Over the following decades, America became, in the words 
of Thomas Paine, ``the asylum for the persecuted.'' We welcomed Irish 
Catholics fleeing starvation and British rule, Germans fleeing 
political turmoil, Eastern European Jews fleeing the pogroms, and 
countless others. Over the generations, America welcomed Europeans 
displaced by war, and later, millions of refugees seeking political 
asylum from Communism during the Cold War.
  In 1980, we passed landmark legislation--the Refugee Act--which 
provided a permanent and systemized procedure for admitting refugees. 
This law established the concept of a Presidential determination on 
refuge admissions, by which the President can set the number of 
refugees that the United States may admit in a given year. For the past 
40 years, both Democratic and Republican administrations demonstrated a 
commitment to robust resettlement. Prior to the Trump administration, 
the average annual refugee admissions cap was 95,000 refugees. 
Administration officials of both parties took seriously the 
Presidential determination and worked to maintain a resettlement rate 
on par with it.
  At nearly every juncture in history since its founding, America has 
been called upon to be a leader in welcoming the persecuted. More often 
than not, we have answered that call and today, it sounds to us louder 
than ever. With more than 24 million refugees around the globe, America 
must step into our historic leadership role, not away from it.
  Now is the time to increase the refugee admissions ceiling, not cut 
it. Now is the time to build up our resettlement infrastructure, not 
decimate it. Now is the time to open our door, not close it. But the 
Trump administration betrayed the foundational values of this Nation by 
slashing our annual refugee admissions ceiling to a dismal 30,000 
refugees. This was an unprecedented low, both in number and humanity. 
That is why I introduced the GRACE Act. This bill prohibits any U.S. 
President from setting an admission ceiling below 95,000 refugees each 
year and requires administration officials to treat that figure as a 
goal.
  We must not be silent. We must continue to meet the global crisis of 
displaced persons head on, and like our forefathers, we must extend a 
hand to those fleeing persecution around the word. Thank you.

                          ____________________