April Fools Day, Refugee program turns 28
Posted by acorcoran on April 1, 2008
The Refugee Act of 1980 that set in motion the Refugee Resettlement program as we know it today was enacted in March 1980, signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, and went into effect on April 1, 1980.
Here is the list of Senators responsible, in case you want to thank those who are still around:
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) chief sponsor
Co-sponsors:
Sen. Jos. Biden (DE)
Sen. Mark Hatfield (OR)
Sen. Carl Levin (MI)
Sen. Daniel Moynihan (NY)
Sen. Randolph Jennings (WV)
Sen. Donald Riegle (MI)
Sen. Paul Tsongas (MA)
Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (MN)
Sen. Jacob Javits (NY)
Sen. George McGovern (SD)
Sen. Claiborn Pell (RI)
Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (CT)
Sen. Paul Sarbanes (MD)
Sen. Harrison Williams (NJ)
One thing that has always interested me is that although Senators from WV and DE promoted this legislation, both of those states have taken less than 1000 refugees in 28 years, while others states have taken tens of thousands.
Go here and check out the table. Note that DE has taken 747, WV 404, and contrast that to MD 30,777. I guess Maryland is just more “welcoming” to all immigrants (legal and illegal).
Joe Biden (the hypocrite) and Refugees « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] to Hyannisport, Senator Joe (any place but Delaware) Biden is a hypocrite. He is one of the few originators of the Refugee Act of 1980 (along with chief sponsor Kennedy) still in the Senate, yet his own [...]
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services calls for reform and more funding for refugee program « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] early history of the refugee resettlement program as it was structured after the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980 (Kennedy, Biden, Carter), I’ve gathered that the focus and core of the program was (is) to get refugees employed [...]
IRC closes office in Boston, leaves refugees in the lurch « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] Senator Ted Kennedy is the brains behind the refugee program we are now operating under (since 1980), I hope to God we don’t find out that the IRC is dropping the lifeline for refugees they [...]
IRC Press Release: unintended consequences? « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] you know that Kennedy and Biden were among the chief sponsors of the Refugee Act of 1980 (Carter signed it!) that put this whole racket in place? To this day, Biden’s home state of Delaware takes a [...]