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Resettlement in the Region. Most host governments do not encourage permanent resettlement, largely because of their own depressed economic situations; ethnic and national rivalries also make local resettlement difficult. However, various Central American governments as well as the Mexican government have demonstrated the forbearance necessary to make first asylum protection work.

Third Country Resettlement. While third country resettlement has not been the preferred option for most Central American refugees, it has been the predominant solution for Cubans fleeing repression by the Castro regime. Since the Revolution, over a million Cubans have fled that country; the vast majority have resettled in the United States, but Venezuela, Peru, Spain and, to a lesser extent, other countries of Latin America and Western Europe have been quite generous in granting temporary or permanent asylum to Cuban refugees.

UNHCR does not generally refer Central American refugee cases for third country resettlement believing that most will eventually be able to repatriate or resettle within the region. Those that are resettled generally go to Canada, Australia and the United States.

FY 1990 refugee admissions to the United States from this region will be approximately 2,400 including approximately 1,800 Cubans. The reimplementation of the Migration Agreement with Cuba in November 1987 allowed the United States, in FY 1989 for the first time in many years, to utilize most of the regional admissions ceiling. The number of qualified political prisoners eligible for resettlement diminished during FY 1990.

U.S. Admissions

Proposed FY 1991 Ceiling. The proposed admissions ceiling for refugees from Latin America and the Caribbean is 3,100.

The FY 1990 ceiling for this region was adjusted from 3,500 to 2,800 during FY 1990 when it became evident that a shortfall existed in the number of eligible Cuban applicants who could reasonably be expected to enter the U.S. during the fiscal year.

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The Cuban admissions program during FY 1990, having already largely addressed the needs of the population it was originally designed for long-term political prisoners has recently undergone a careful review. Expanded processing priorities in FY 1991 are proposed which will include all of priority one as well as priority two which would allow the program to address the needs of a broader range of persons. Other measures are also currently under consideration to facilitate migration

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from Cuba and maintain levels consistent with those envisioned under the Mariel accords.

Conditions in Central America have changed dramatically during the course of FY 1990, particularly with regard to Nicaragua which was, after Cuba, the second largest nationality represented in the U.S. refugee admissions program from Latin America. While non-Cuban admissions are expected to reach about 500 in FY 1990, non-Cuban refugee admissions will be negligible in FY 1991.

Within the proposed FY 1991 ceiling of 3,100, up to 3,000 may be used by Cubans. This number may be adjusted later in the fiscal year, depending upon the demand from qualified Cuban applicants for refugee numbers. Particularly in light of some positive developments elsewhere in the region, 3,100 numbers are expected to be more than sufficient to meet the demand for this region for FY 1991.

Cuban Admissions. The admission of political prisoners has long been a high priority in the Latin American admissions program. The FY 1990 Presidential Determination permits processing as refugees current and former political prisoners and persons in imminent danger of loss of life as refugees, while still inside Cuba. The program parameters are proposed for expansion in FY 1991 to include political dissidents, human rights activists, religious activists, and former U.S. Government employees who are determined to be refugees.

The

Estimates of the exact size of the pool of current and former Cuban political prisoners are difficult to discern. pool of qualified ex-prisoners decreased over the years. During FY 1990 the majority of those imprisoned who applied for our program were serving sentences for illegal departure from Cuba. The order of processing will be based on such humanitarian considerations as physical danger from persecution, length of prison sentence served, exceptionally cruel treatment during incarceration, medical conditions, and close family ties in the United States.

Non-Cuban Admissions. Although the need for U.S. resettlement for others from the region has remained low (approximately 500 in FY 1990), the program provides a mechanism through which qualified refugees can apply for admission to the United States and which can be adapted to changing conditions. The focus of this program is on the small number of refugees who cannot repatriate or resettle within the region.

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The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which has offices throughout Latin America, pre-screens cases for the United States, Canadian, Australian and Danish admissions programs. INS conducted region-wide circuit rides in FY 1990 as well as several shorter trips to respond to emergency cases. During the second half of FY 1990, the number of new applications in the region dropped off markedly.

Designated Nationalities. In FY 1991, Cubans who fled Cuba before November 20, 1987 as well as all Central American and Caribbean nationalities are designated for the U.S. refugee admission program. Processing of refugees from the region are limited to priorities one and two.

The Near East/South Asian region has the largest concentration of refugees and displaced persons in the world: five million Afghans, four million Palestinians, one million Iranians, nearly 100,000 Iraqis and smaller numbers from other nationalities. There are more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and two million in Iran, while there are several hundred thousand Iranians in neighboring Turkey. A number of Iraqi Kurds are in Iran and more than 30,000 of the estimated 60,000 who entered Turkey in 1988 remain there. consequences of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on potential refugee groups is being closely monitored.

The

Voluntary Repatriation. Most refugees from the Near East would like to return to their homeland. The protracted fighting in Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal has inhibited the return of significant numbers of Afghan refugees, but a recently initiated UN-sponsored pilot repatriation program offers hope that the world's largest refugee group will increase the numbers of those returning home.

Resettlement in the Region. Few countries within the region are willing to offer permanent resettlement to refugees from neighboring countries, but many have been generous with long-term asylum. Pakistan has offered asylum to over three million Afghans who are permitted to engage in many economic activities and are not restricted to their camps. Several countries in the Near East have extended work permits to Palestinian, Iranian and Afghan refugees for long periods of time. Iranians appear to have the most difficulty in obtaining resident status in countries of first asylum or other countries in the region.

Third Country Resettlement. The original FY 1990 admissions ceiling of 6,500 was revised to 5,000 during the course of the year when it became apparent that at least 1,500 numbers were likely to go unused and were needed elsewhere. Iranians (particularly religious minorities) continued to utilize approximately two thirds of the admissions numbers for the region with Afghans using most of the balance. However, during the course of the year a dramatic decline in the number of new Iranian applications was noted as was an increase in Afghan applications.

The difficult situation of Iraqi Kurds in first asylum in Turkey is recognized by the international community. Ongoing efforts are being made to improve the living conditions of

these victims of ethnic strife and chemical warfare. In FY 1991, the United States hopes to provide some relief to this population by processing for resettlement those who have ties to the United States or who have compelling humanitarian cases.

While third country resettlement is not the preferred solution in most cases, it is the only option for certain refugees at risk in countries of first asylum. For example, UNHCR considers third country resettlement to be the preferred solution for most Iranian refugees in Turkey and Pakistan. From FY 1980 to FY 1990, nearly 65,000 refugees from the Near East/South Asia, mostly Iranians and Afghans, were resettled in the United States. Other major resettlement countries for refugees from this region are Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Turkey has accepted refugees from the Turkic ethnic groups in Afghanistan and Bulgaria. Additionally, many other refugees reside in Western Europe. Iraqi Kurds in Turkey are permitted to remain without threat of deportation. Many live under difficult conditions and are unable to obtain permanent residence.

U.S. Admissions

Proposed FY 1991 Ceiling. The proposed ceiling for refugees from the Near East and South Asia for FY 1991 is 6,000.

This ceiling will allow the United States to continue to process Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi refugees in priorities one through four. The region's special variation of fourth priority allows the U.S. program to continue to focus on persecuted religious minorities.

Repression and persecution of dissidents, religious minorities (Baha'is, Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians), persons who played significant roles under the Shah and individuals who refuse to adopt the doctrinaire Iranian Shi'a religious beliefs once widespread under the Khomeini regime have not entirely disappeared. Iranians are the largest group of Near Eastern/South Asian refugees admitted to the United States. Iranian admissions have steadily declined since the highest level of 6,681 in FY 1987. Approximately 3,500 Iranians will be admitted in FY 1990.

The outflow of Iraqi refugees declined during the mid-1980's but is now on the increase; tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees, mostly Kurds, have fled to Iran, Turkey and other countries.