Mark Hatfield: “in 1989, I joined with my colleague, Senator Lautenberg, in support of the retention of the standard of proof long…”

“in 1989, I joined with my colleague, Senator Lautenberg, in support of the retention of the standard of proof long required for certain categories of Soviet and Indochinese refugees who have faced continuing persecution. The so-called Lautenberg amendment, which passed the Senate unanimously in 1989, allowed Soviet Jews, Evangelical Christians, and certain categories of Southeast Asians--Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians--to qualify for refugee status by asserting a fear of persecution and presenting a ``credible basis for concern about the possibility of such persecution,'' rather than a ``well-founded fear of persecution.'' The need for the enactment of the Lautenberg legislation emerged after the Immigration and Naturalization Service changed its longstanding screening practice of presuming these groups had a well-founded fear of persecution. After the change in policy, the denial rate of these groups soared dramatically upward. Within a 3 month period in 1988, the denial rate for the Vietnamese Orderly Departure Program rose from under 10 percent to a denial rate of 80 percent. This change occurred even though conditions in Southeast Asia had not changed. I am pleased to support the amendment before us to extend this provision for an additional 2 years. It is likely to be argued in the Senate today that world conditions have changed and the Lautenberg provisions are no longer necessary or applicable. I disagree.”