The third separate note was from the Swiss Embassy to the Cuban Foreign Ministry (complimentary introduction and close omitted): "As the Embassy of Switzerland made clear during the course of the recent conversations which led to the Memorandum of Understanding on the movement of persons from Cuba to the United States, accepted by both Governments on November 6, 1965, the Government of the United States regards with special humanitarian concern the cases of those persons imprisoned in Cuba for offenses of a political nature. It had been the understanding and hope of the Government of the United States that the statement by the Prime Minister of Cuba on September 30, 1965 would encompass persons in this category who wished to leave Cuba to live in the United States. "The Government of the United States regrets that at this time the Government of Cuba has not permitted political prisoners to be included under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding. The Government of the United States expresses the hope that the Government of Cuba will be willing to reconsider this position. The Government of the United States wishes to stress the particular importance which such reconsideration would have in permitting the reunion of many families. "For its part, the Government of the United States reaffirms its readiness to grant entry to the United States of such political prisoners through procedures consistent with those established in the Memorandum of Understanding of November 6, 1965." The final separate note, a response by the Cuban Foreign Ministry to the note initiated by the Swiss Embassy, read as follows: "The Ministry of Foreign Relations presents its compliments to the Embassy of Switzerland, representing the interests of the United States of America in Cuba, and in acknowledging receipt of its note dated November 6, has the honor to inform it that the Cuban position on the matter is that expressed in its note of October 12 of the present year." Mr. FASCELL. Mr. Funseth, have you anything you want to add at this point? Mr. FUNSETH. No, sir. Mr. FASCELL. Mr. Palmatier, do you have a prepared statement? Mr. PALMATIER. Yes, Mr. Chairman; I have a prepared statement. Mr. FASCELL. You may proceed. STATEMENT OF HOWARD H. PALMATIER, DIRECTOR, CUBAN REFUGEE PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE Mr. PALMATIER. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: I am very pleased to have the opportunity to appear before this committee and to report to you on Cuban refugees in the United States. As part of the Social and Rehabilitation Service of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Cuban refugee program is concerned with the well-being of Cuban refugees in the United States. Our responsibility begins once a refugee has entered this country. Since the Cuban refugee program was established by President Kennedy nearly 912 years ago, following emergency actions taken by President Eisenhower, its mission has been twofold: first, to alleviate the impact of refugees on communities; and second, to aid the refugees to build new lives for themselves and their families in exile. Our objective, throughout the program has been to help the refugees become, to the fullest extent possible, self-supporting, contributing, taxpaying members of our society during the period of their exile. Since the refugee program began, in February 1961, through June 1970, a total of 379,229 refugees have registered at our Cuban Refugee Center in Miami, Fla. Of these, about 251,000 have been resettled from Miami to some 3,000 communities in all 50 States. The flow of refugees from Cuba has fallen into three distinct periods. First period was from January 1959 to October 1962: Between January 1959, when Castro came to power in Cuba, and January 1961, some 50,000 Cubans fled to the United States. Over 37,000 of them were concentrated in Florida, mostly in the MiamiDade County area. Many of the early refugees had brought funds out of Cuba or had previously deposited funds in the United States and other foreign banks in anticipation of a political upheaval. But as the refugee flight continued and as members of all socioeconomic groups began to join the exodus, the Cuban Government imposed increasingly stringent restrictions on those requesting permission to leave. All real and personal property belonging to refugees was confiscated. A person was allowed to bring out of the country only one suit, a few changes of clothing, and a maximum of 5 pesos-worth about 50 cents in U.S. currency. Later, the 5 pesos were eliminated. Toward the end of 1960, it became evident that the large number of refugees reaching Miami without resources had exceeded the capacity of local public and voluntary agencies to provide emergency assistance. They had also far exceeded the capacity of the local labor market to provide opportunities for gainful employment. Churches, civic groups, schools, and State, county, and city officials had done a splendid job of welcoming the refugees and of providing emergency help. Now they needed help too. In December 1960 the Cuban Refugee Emergency Center was established in Miami with an initial allocation made by President Eisenhower of $1 million from the contingency fund under the Mutual Security Act. In January of 1961, U.S. consular offices in Cuba were closed as our Government severed diplomatic relations. However, Cubans continued to flee in ever-increasing numbers, assisted by a visa waiver arrangement. During this first period, commercial transportation continued to service the Havana-Miami route, and arrivals reached 1,800 refugees a week. The Cuban Refugee Emergency Center in Miami still serves as the focal point for the operation of the program. On February 3, 1961, and after an on-the-spot review and report by Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Abraham Ribicoff, the late President John F. Kennedy directed the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to implement a nine-point Cuban refugee program: 1. Provide all possible assistance to voluntary relief agencies in providing daily necessities for many of the refugees, for resettling as many of them as possible, and for securing jobs for them. 2. Obtain the assistance of both private and governmental agencies to provide useful employment opportunites for displaced Cubans, consistent with the overall employment situation prevailing in Florida. 3. Provide supplemental funds for the resettlement of refugees in other areas, including transportation and adjustment costs to the new communities, and for their eventual return to Miami for repatriation to their homeland as soon as that is again possible. 4. Furnish financial assistance to meet basic maintenance requirements of needy Cuban refugee families in the Miami area and as required in communities of resettlement, administered through Federal, State, and local channels and based on standards used in the community involved. 5. Provide for essential health services through the financial assistance program supplemented by child health, public health services, and other arrangements as needed. 6. Furnish Federal assistance for local public school operating costs related to the unforeseen impact of Cuban refugee children on local teaching facilities. 7. Initiate needed measures to augment training and educational opportunities for Cuban refugees, including physicians, teachers, and those with other professional backgrounds. 8. Provide financial aid for the care and protection of unaccompanied children-the most defenseless and troubled group among the refugee population. 9. Undertake a surplus food distribution program to be administered by the county welfare department, with surplus foods distributed by public and voluntary agencies to needy refugees. One of the major objectives of this directive was the reduction on the principal port of entry-Miami, Florida-of the burden imposed on that community by the impact of large numbers of Cuban refugees arriving there during a relatively short period of time. To do this we embarked upon a strong resettlement program with the assistance of four voluntary agencies with long experience in refugee work-the U.S. Catholic Conference, Church World Service (Protestant), the United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service, and the International Rescue Committee (nonsectarian). In helping move these people to other areas of the United States, two objectives were achieved. First, the overwhelming burden placed on Miami was minimized. Second, through sponsorship opportunities developed by the voluntary agencies the refugee was assisted to locate in an area where more jobs were available, where he could achieve self-support for himself and family, and where he could become a fully participating, contributing member of our society. The second period was from October 1962 to December 1965: By the time of the missile crisis in October 1962, when all commercial transportation from Cuba to the United States was stopped, over 153,000 Cuban refugees had registered at the center in Miami. The vast majority were still in Miami, and over 67,000 were receiving financial assistance from the Federal Government. The sharp decline in arrivals, due to lack of transportation, permitted us to embark on an intensive study of the refugees in Miami. Information from case interviews was coded for data processing analysis. Through this process, we were able to identify promptly those persons capable of accepting a resettlement opportunity and, more importantly, those requiring individual attention in order to prepare them for resettlement and employment. During this period, when relatively few new refugees arrived, the program concentrated on resettlement to opportunities for jobs and homes in other communities and on training programs designed to lead to self-support. As a result, resettlements exceeded new registrations by 55 percent, and substantial reductions were able to be effected in the cost of the program as more and more refugees no longer needed financial assistance. During this period, the number of refugees requiring financial assistance declined from 67,000 to 17,000. The third period was from December 1965 to present: The third period in the flow of refugees from Cuba began on December 1, 1965, when the refugee airlift from Cuba was established by the United States under a "Memorandum of Understanding" with Cuba which President Johnson had announced on November 6, 1965. Under the memorandum, the United States agreed to provide air transportation for between 3,000 and 4,000 refugees a month. Since the airlift began, through June 26, 1970, a total of 196,133 refugees have been airlifted from Cuba, to the Miami International Airport. This has been an average of 3,566 refugees per month. Of the refugees who have arrived on the airlift, 139,404 have been resettled from Miami to other areas, amounting to 71.1 percent of the airlift arrivals. The pattern of airlift resettlements has generally followed the pattern of earlier resettlements since most of the airlift arrivals join relatives who are already located throughout the United States. Throughout the airlift, the refugees have represented a variety of occupational groups. On a cumulative basis, 6.5 percent have been professional, semiprofessional, and managerial workers; 11.7 percent clerical and sales; 9.3 percent skilled workers; 3.6 percent semiskilled and unskilled; 3.1 percent service workers; 1.8 percent farming and fishing; and 64.0 percent children, students, and housewives. This proportion is approximately the same as one could expect in any general family type of movement. In terms of age, the refugees arriving on the airlift have consisted of 34 percent 18 years of age or less; 44 percent between the ages of 19 and 49; 10.5 percent between 50 and 60; 4.1 percent between 61 and 65; and 7.4 percent over 65 years of age. The age distribution of the airlift arrivals, like the occupational distribution, has shown relatively little change during the course of the airlift. This has been the case despite the fact that practically all of the airlift arrivals have consisted of persons who registered in Cuba during the period from November 1965 through May 1966, and that those who are currently being airlifted are, of course, 4 years older than at the time they registered. I have included with this statement some tables which present additional details on the refugees. As the number of refugees in the United States has increased, the costs of the Cuban refugee program have inevitably increased. The program not only includes the reception, processing, and resettlement of currently arriving refugees, but also is responsible for reimbursement to the States for financial and medical assistance provided to needy eligible refugees who may have arrived at any time during the course of the program. The termination point for the responsibility of the refugee program in this regard occurs only when, and if, a refugee becomes a citizen of the United States. Since the assistance to the refugees is based on the same standards as apply to other residents of the States in which they live, the increasing levels which have occurred in the regular domestic welfare programs have been also a factor in the increased costs to the refugee program. Mr. Chairman, I would say that the chief pleasure in being associated with this program, in being associated with the refugees, is the spirit and determination of the Cuban refugees themselves to make the best possible contribution of which they are capable during their exile in the United States. When we consider that these refugees have arrived in the United States in the space of little more than a decade-half within the past 5 years-and that practically all arrived with literally nothing but their skills and abilities, often without knowledge of English, it seems to me remarkable that today 83 percent of them are fully self-supporting, that only 17 percent require Federal financial assistance. The refugees have shown a consistent willingness to start again at the bottom of the occupational ladder whenever that was necessary; they have participated enthusiastically in English and vocational training courses; many of the young people have been at the heads of their classes in school; needy college students who have received loans have established an excellent repayment record; over 2,000 physicians have been assisted to meet certification and licensing requirements in order to make use of their skills in the United States; over 4,000 teachers have been placed or received refresher training to meet certification requirements to teach in this country. A number of refugees have risen to positions of prominence in business and industry, after starting over again, with nothing, in a new country. In Miami, refugees have established several thousand businesses which have added to the economic growth of the area, and their skills have also served to attract a number of corporations to the Miami area. By September 1968, according to a study by the First Research Corp., the total annual income of families of Spanish origin-90 percent Cuban-in Dade County had reached $342 million, and 42.9 percent of these families owned their own homes; both of these figures represented significant increases over those found in a similar study 16 months earlier. These are substantial achievements. They are a tribute both to the refugees and to the United States in offering asylum and opportunity to oppressed people in accordance with our long humanitarian tradition. Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement, and I should be pleased to try to answer any questions. Mr. FASCELL. Thank you, Mr. Palmatier. Without objection we shall include with your statement the tables you have attached thereto. (The tables referred to follow :) TABLE 1.-CUBAN REFUGEE PROGRAM: 3 BASIC PERIODS IN FLOW OF REFUGEES 2d period-No Cuba, U.S. air flights (Oct. 23, 1962, through Nov. 30, 1965). 1st period-Commercial air flights available (from start of program, February 1961, until missile crisis, Oct. 22, 1962).. Total.. 1 Refugees who registered at the U.S. Cuban Refugee Center, Miami, Fla. 47-898-70-2 |