[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           WORLD REFUGEE DAY

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on World Refugee Day, to share 
some facts on the United States Refugee Resettlement Program.
  America's Refugee Resettlement Program is a small but powerful 
humanitarian expression of American values and founding principles. And 
just as important, it makes us safer.
  Refugees go through vetting that is already extreme. If there is any 
doubt about a refugee's identity, he or she is not admitted. The 
process is so rigorous, there hasn't been a single fatal terrorist 
attack carried out by a refugee in the United States since the Refugee 
Act became law in 1980.
  Americans across our great country support resettlement. America's 
faith communities are leading the call for America to stand by her 
principles and shelter the fleeing victims of our enemies, including 
the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany in my own 20th District 
of New York. That is because it speaks directly to American values of 
strength, inclusiveness, and compassion.
  New Yorkers have played a vital role in the resettlement program, and 
refugees are positively contributing to communities across New York 
State and beyond. The United States Committee for Refugees and 
Immigrants' Albany field office has helped resettle refugees from 
Afghanistan, from Burma, Iraq, Ukraine, and the Congo, just to name a 
few. Some of these refugees are single mothers seeking a better life 
for themselves and their children; others are families fleeing war and 
persecution.
  We have the strength, the means, and the capacity to welcome these 
refugees with open arms. Let us stand with these huddled masses and 
remain a beacon of freedom around the world.

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