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7341018
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Status Report on Refugees from Indochina
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7341018
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document
title
Status Report on Refugees from Indochina
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7341018
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25
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1975-09-25
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9
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1975
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Digitized from Box 16 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 25, 1975
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
STATUS REPORT: REFUGEES FROM INDOCHINA
The President is transmitting to the appropriate congressional comm-
ittees the second report required by Section 4. (c) of the Indochina Migra-
tion and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975 (PL 94-23). The report describes
the logistical problems and progress made by the President's
Special Inter-Agency Task Force which is charged with coordinating
refugee resettlement activities. The report also describes the
reception center guidelines and the resettlement process, in-
cluding the work of the voluntary agencies and the States and
local governments. A refugee profile is provided as well as an
indication of where the refugees are being resettled within the
United States and third countries. Budgeting data and details of
Federal support provided by five government agencies are in-
cluded plus a chronological review of U. S. policy and efforts
concerning Vietnamese and Cambodian repatriates.
BACKGROUND
On April 18, 1975, the President established a Special Inter-
Agency Task Force "to coordinate all U. S. Government activities
concerning the evacuation of U. S. citizens, Vietnamese citizens,
and third country nationals from Vietnam and refugee and reset-
tlement problems relating to the Vietnam conflict." Twelve
Federal agencies are represented on the Task Force; The Departments
of: State; Health, Education and Welfare; Treasury; Defense;
Justice; Interior; Labor; Housing and Urban Development; Trans-
portation; Agency for International Development; Office of
Management and Budget; and Central Intelligence Agency.
In less than two weeks, the first refugees started to arrive
within the continental United States. With a pipeline extending
back to Guam, Wake Island and Subic Bay, refugees continued to arrive
around the clock. It was necessary to ready the installations in
California, Arkansas, Florida and Pennsylvania to receive the new-
comers within a very short time frame.
Responding to the President's request for legislative action, the
Congress passed the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act
of 1975 which the President signed into law on May 24, 1975.
In carrying out the mandate established for the Task Force and the
provisions of the Refugee Act, the Task Force has continued to pro-
vide policy guidance and to operate the refugee reception centers, to
negotiate agreements with the appropriate agencies that will result
in sponsorships, to offer testimony before the appropriate Con-
gressional Committees, to obtain program assistance from Federal
agencies, to provide a toll-free number with staff to accept calls
from potential sponsors and from refugees needing assistance, to
provide a computerized locator service, liaison with other countries
interested in accepting refugees, to develop programs and literature
to assist the refugees in understanding the resettlement process
and the customs of the United States as well as to provide infor-
mation to the public to encourage sponsorship.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
Currently (September 15), two reception centers in the
Pacific on Guam and at Utapao, Thailand, and three
resettlement centers in the U. S. at Fort Chaffee,
Arkansas, Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania; and Camp
Pendleton, California remain in operation. Based on
current sponsorship rates, Pendleton should close
by the end of October, Indiantown Gap by the end
of November, and Fort Chaffee will house the last
of the refugees until all are resettled hopefully
more
2
by the end of the year. (Three reception centers
have already closed: Subic Bay in the Philipines
on July 6, Wake Island on August 1, and Eglin Air
Force Base on September 15).
-
1,817 of the refugees who remain in the U. S.
system have requested repatriation. 1,659 are
Vietnamese, 1,577 of them are housed on Guam.
158 Cambodians are at Camp Pendleton along with
about 30 Vietnamese requesting repatriation. In
addition, there are about 150 persons already
resettled in the United States who have registered
with the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) requesting to return to their
home countries.
-
The UNHCR, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, plans
to visit Vietnam around September 20th to
discuss the matter with the Provisional Revo-
lutionary Government (PRG) authorities. The
United States Government hopes that he will be
successful in gaining acceptance for the return
of the repatriates.
-
A number of Vietnamese and Cambodians who left
those countries on their own resources are now
stranded in a number of other countries in
East Asia, primarily Thailand, Malaysia, Hong
Kong, Singapore and South Korea. Consideration
will be given to acceptance of former employees
of the U. S. Government and their dependents,
and certain relatives of persons already in the
United States. In addition, certain other
refugees in a "high risk" status will be con-
sidered for acceptance until about 130,000
Indochina refugees are resettled permanently in
the United States.
-
Nine voluntary resettlement agencies have been
responsible for placing most of the 92,893 refu-
gees resettled in the United States. State and
local governments had contracted to resettle
4,250 refugees as of September 5.
-
The Indochina Evacuation and Resettlement Program
has a total budget of $505,277,454. As of
August 31, total obligations were $283,437,643.
-
Generally, most of the programs of the Department
of Health, Education and Welfare, the Department
of Labor, and the Department of Housing and Urban
Development applicable to American citizens are
also available to the refugees. Under certain
circumstances, refugees are eligible to receive
food stamps funded by the Department of Agri-
culture.
-
States and local governments which provide
certain benefits to the refugees in the areas
of social services, medical assistance, and
public welfare are reimbursed 100% by the Federal
government for their normal costs for such
services. Special one-time grants for education
are available for each school district enrolling
Indochinese refugee children.
-
On July 21, the principal operational responsi-
bility for the Task Force was transferred from
the Department of State to the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) Julia
Vadala Taft was named Director of the Task Force.
more
3
The Task Force will cease operations and disband
upon completion of its assigned task -- the
resettlement of all the refugees. Preparations
are underway for the Department of Health, Edu-
cation and Welfare to take over at that time.
HEW will be concerned with follow-up on the
success of the program, provision of services
to the refugees, and the maintenance of a center
for response to and referral of inquiries and
problems related to the Indochina refugees.
DATE NEXT REPORT DUE
In accordance with the requirements of PL 94-23, the next report
on the status of the refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam will be
sent to the Congress in three months.
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