Frank Lautenberg: “I was made aware of the objection of the Senator from Wyoming to this amendment, and I would like to point out from the…”

“I was made aware of the objection of the Senator from Wyoming to this amendment, and I would like to point out from the beginning that I do not believe that he is anti any persons, anti any group. In this case, I think it is fair to say anti-Semitism does not rank at all in the thoughts of the Senator from Wyoming. He is not that kind of a person. I think in this case he may--if the Senator from Wyoming would do me the courtesy of listening--be antisemantic in this question in terms of the phraseology that we are using. Certainly, this is intended to be somewhat humorous. We are kind of an odd couple. We are good friends, but we disagree on lots of things, and in this case we decidedly disagree. The fact is that there is not a presumption that if you belong to group A, group B, or group C, you are automatically entitled to refugee status. The fact of the matter is that in the statute it is very clear. It says applicants must prove, and I here quote, "a credible basis for concern," in various ways, including the assertion of, No. 1, actual past persecution or discriminatory or prejudicial actions taken against the individual personally, No. 2, acts of persecution committed against similarly situated individuals in the applicant's geographical locale, or No. 3, instances of mistreatment or prejudicial actions based on the individual's request to depart the countries covered by this law.”