REVIEW OF INDOCHINESE REFUGEE PROCESSING

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
5
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
April 16, 2012
Sequence Number: 
1
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
March 16, 1983
Content Type: 
MEMO
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7.pdf238.91 KB
Body: 
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 DD 3 EXDIR a D/ICS 5 I D01 ~--~ . DDA 9 Chm/NIC 10 GG -' 11 1G i 12 Compt ~ 14 ~ D/Pets 15 D/OEA r 16 C.i PAD/OEA 17 SA/IA Exe rv Se ~erory Da~~ Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 WASHINGTON March 16, 1983 MEMORANDUM FOR. THE HONORA$LE GEORGE: P. SHULTZ Secretary of State THE HONORABLE WILLIAM FRENCH SMITH . Attorney General ' THE. HONORABLE H. EUGENE DOUGLAS U . S ...Coordinator for Refugee Affairs SUBJECT: Review of Indochinese Refugee Processing Twelve Senators sent the~attaehed letter to the President concerning the processing of~refngees in Indochina. Press reports last month focused on this matter as well. Proper implementation of the program in a manner consistent with United States policy and law is, as you know, important to' U.S. political and htunanitarian objectives. The President has requested a prompt reviev~ of this situation. This should identify what steps have been taken, or will need to be taken, to ensure such implementation of the program. This review should be prepared by the Coordinator for Refugee Affairs, in coordination with `the Secretary of State and the Attorney General. It sTzonld be forwarded by March 3I. William. P. Clark Attachment Tab A Letter dtd.2/16/83 cc: The Director, Office of Management and Budget The Director of Central Inte]:li:gence Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 _ _ __ .,. "c. N`'z ` ~ `Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 OnCGOw ~Cni~eb ~.~fof es ,~enaf? February 16, 19$3 The President The White House Washington, D.C.. 20500 125952 Exe;ttive Rvgis;ry Dear Mr. President: . Recent reports from: Thailand document the appalling performance of the Immigration. and. Naturalization Service field. officers charged with the responsibility ot" processing Indochinese refugees seeking resettlement in the United Sfiates. Attorney General Smith visited Thailand in October,. 1982, and. subsequently sent a Special INS tears overseas to assist in the review and. processing of refugee applications.. While we were pleased with Attorney General Smith's valuable intervention in this matter of considerable international. significance, we are still concerned that the intransigence of the INS field staff has persisted.. Because of the serious implications which would attend the perception that the United States is indifferent to the concerns of the Thai government and the plight of Indochinese refugees, we feel your personal intervention in this dispute is desperately needed. At issue, Mr. President, is the United States' ability to enforce the policies promulgated by you with respect to Indochinese refugees. As you know, the United States approved a ceiling of 64,000 Asian refugees for Fiscal Year 1983:= Reports from Southeast Asia show that by dubious application of facts and law, the middle-level INS officers in Thailand have prevented your Administration.'s refugee policy from being implemented fairly. The definition of "refugee" has been inconsistently applied, as- recent media reports have documented, and the re3ection rate of refugee applicants who were pre-selected by the State Department underscores the argument that the Thailand INS operation has been arbitrary, if not hostile,,. in processing Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees. INS field officers in Thailand have conducted themselves in such a fashion as to warrant a cable from Washington detailing explicit rules of conduct and courtesy for those officers to follow when processing Indochinese applicants.. This is not only an embarrassing instance of impropriety, but it reflects the clear fact that the policy of continued asylum in Southeast Asia for refugees who flee communist regimes (and whose ties to America brand them as pariahs) is 'in grave jeopardy.. Mr. President, we are not seeking higher levels of refugee admissions to this country.. In fact, the United States will not be able to admit even ha].1" of the approved number of, refugees Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 " Tk~e President February 16, 1983 Page 2 from Southeast Asia because of the lamentable performance of INS field officers in Thailand.- The Thai government has grown weary of the inconsistent application of expressed Administration policy on refugee admissions, and we fear a program of forced repatriation is. no longer a mere remote possibility. The .United States'. role,. both in the interests. of consistent foreign policy and-humanitarian concerns, must not be unt3ercut by feuding,. uncooperative INS officers. We are anxious for your prompt, personal involvement irr this matter. Sincerely, Mark 0. Hatfi ld. Mark N. Andrews Paul E. Tsongas. arren u an Car-~Lev~ Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7 The President ? February 16, 1983 Page 3 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/04/16 :CIA-RDP10M02313R000100930001-7